This Must Be A Sign
by jls62113
Summary: Rick and Michonne in an AU. They sort of meet at a pool party, which turns out to be a disaster for Rick and Michonne ends up being his boss. This story is in chapters and I hope you like the first one. Sorry I've been gone so long.
1. Chapter 1

This Must Be A Sign – Chapter 1

Michonne found no excitement in attending the end of summer pool party given by her boss. The party was for the staff of the state attorney general's office which included the attorneys and their assistants, clerks, special investigators and runners; people she had very little interest in. She stood in front of the mirror and pilled her long locks on top of her head and wondered whether or not to put a blouse over her bikini top. She picked up the light, airy blouse off the bed and slipped it over her lean, broad shoulders and liked how it looked. She tied it at her trim waist, but noticed it didn't quite go with the skirt wrap tied at one hip, exposing her leg from foot to waist. The effect of her bare leg in contrast to the stark white strip of her bikini bottoms was stunning, even if she did say so herself, so she pulled the blouse off and slung it over one shoulder and left for the party.

It had been a long busy year with very little down time, and this was something they had earned, but she really could care less. She would have rather stayed at home reading her book, but her boss admonished her with one of his 'that's an order' look, so she inhaled deeply, manufactured a smile, and as usual walked into the party like she owned it. Besides, she thought to herself, it had been a long winter, a hot summer and she had waited through it all to put on the snow-white bikini she bought in France two years earlier.

Special investigator Rick Grimes sat in his jeep just outside the state attorney general's home and inhaled deeply several times, deciding whether to go to the party or go home. He always felt awkward at parties; as if he were wearing a donkey's head.

"Get out of the car Grimes, I doubt if the house bites."

Rick didn't have to see whose voice that was. His boss all but ordered him to come to the party. 'It's good for your career." He would always say. Rick liked his career just fine the way it was. He inhaled deeply and got out of the car and walked toward his boss who stopped and stared.

"That was the best you could do?"

"What?" Rick said looking to see if his fly was down.

"This is a pool party and you show up in jeans and a collared shirt. Even your shirt-tail is tucked in. You really should loosen up."

"I'm loose enough." Rick said dryly walking past him.

"That's what you think. You're wound tighter than a Swiss watch."

"Am I any different today than I was last week, last month Tom?" Rick said cutting him off.

"That's the problem Rick." Tom said catching up to him. "Are you okay?"

Rick lowered his head and nodded. He had been on leave for about six months after his wife's death, and been back at the job for nearly eight months.

"I'm beat up plenty, but I'm still me."

Tom scoffed and nodded with a smile.

"Alright."

This time Rick stood still and Tom moved passed him. Rick was Tom's department's best investigators. He was quick to deliver on leads and used his intelligence to get the job done. Tom worried about Rick; knew he wasn't sleeping, and he wouldn't talk to anyone on a personal level. Tom liked Rick, but liked him better before his wife died.

Hearing the music from the backyard, the party was in full swing. There were people in the pool, people sitting on the grass and people standing around the bar. Rick milled around and had to admit to himself that instead of enjoying the party, his mind was still at work. He had profiled at least five people within the seven minutes he had been there. He shook his assessments from his mind and forced himself to try and enjoy the party without judging the partygoers. His eyes landed on a woman in a white bikini. She was breathtaking. Her smooth dark skin looked flawless contrasted to the white bathing suit. When his eyes finally made it up to hers, she was looking at him as well. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, he saw something in her eyes that was familiar to him. Although she was stunningly beautiful, and had a smile that lit up the entire area around her, the smile wasn't heartfelt. Suddenly, she was walking his way and the only way he could stop staring was to turn away and pretend to examine the make-up of the cement tiles beneath his feet. When he turned away, he saw Tom walking toward him.

"You look dry man."

"I don't really drink Tom."

"I know, I know, but I wanted to share a drink with you."

A waiter had followed Tom over with a tray with two shot glasses on it.

"Please." Tom said.

Rick reached for the shot glass.

"I'm glad you're back, and I owe you Rick. I appreciate everything you do."

"I've been back for eight months, and I'm just doing my job Tom."

"It's more than that Rick, you care about the people you work with just as much as the people you're sworn to protect."

Tom held up his glass and Rick joined him.

"Thanks Rick."

Rick nodded and tossed back the drink and then raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, it's pretty good. Single malt."

"Thanks Tom."

Just as Rick went to back away, Tom tried to warn him, but was too late. Rick turned and bumped into the white bikini and in doing so, the drink she was holding spilled on her from her neckline, over her chest, down to her bare stomach. She gasped from the cold tea and multiple ice cubes that splashed onto her chest, and then crashed to the ground.

"Uh, oh no. I'm sorry miss." The words tumbled awkwardly from his mouth.

In his haste to make right what just happened, Rick pulled what he thought was a napkin off the table, only to pull half the table's contents onto the ground. The noise of the plates and silverware was deafening. Tom quickly handed Rick a towel, which he quickly thrust at her.

She angrily snatched the towel from his hand and glared at him, but was inwardly amused by his red face which was getting redder by the second. She stood there breathing quickly from the frigid ice tea that now dripped into a puddle at her sandaled feet. He watched as she bent slightly over to dab the liquid from her legs, waiting for the tongue lashing to follow.

Thinking how he had just ruined her cool, as well as her crisp white bikini, she was going to give him an earful, but when she looked up into his soft blue eyes, her temperament started to diffuse.

"Thank you." She bit out sharply and continued to dab the remaining moisture from her chest.

"I really am sorry."

"So am I."

She coolly walked passed him, and when she did, she carefully nudged him right into the pool and tossed the towel he had handed her in after him.

The splash from his plunge caused eyes to focus on him and more than a few giggles. As he surfaced he could see her standing at the pool's edge next to Tom. Daggers flew from his eyes to hers, and back again. Rick waved off Tom's offer to help him out of the pool. When he climbed up out of the pool, a towel was given to him by one of the waiters. She stood there long enough to shoot one last disapproving look at him before walking off.

Rick glared at the waiter wishing he had been the one standing in soaked clothes. He nodded thanks and wiped the water from his face and hair. As he did so, he looked in the direction she had gone, and he inwardly shook his head.

"This has got to be a sign." Tom said laughing.

"A sign of what?"

"The adult equivalent of a girl socking a boy in the arm she likes." Tom said earning an irritated look from Rick.

"She doesn't know me and I don't know her. Who is she?" Rick asked Tom who was stifling a laugh.

"Michonne Mitchell. She's the assistant attorney general."

Rick grimaced and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, by the way Rick, you and Katie are to report to her at the OAG in the morning at nine."

Rick closed his eyes and scoffed wishing he had applied at the fire department.

"Look on the bright side, she ain't hard on the eyes at all."

Rick had to agree, but he would never admit that to Tom.

"I'm gonna leave now. I've ruined my life enough for one day. I'll see you Monday Tom."

She left the party shortly after helping that blue-eyed man into the pool. She quietly reprimanded herself for being so vindictive, but that's just the way she felt these days. She stopped by her office before she went home to pick up the files on her new investigators. Richard Grimes and Katie Dixon. She closed her eyes and decided to spend the remaining hours of her day off reading her book. She placed the files back on her desk and left.

Rick went home and slammed every door he came into contact with; the car, the front door, the bathroom. Of all the people, he thought, why would he just happen to spill a drink on his new boss. He had done things to piss off bosses before, but usually he had a good reason, this was just a dumb accident. He never liked paying for dumb accidents.

After his shower, he sat on his bed. As usual, the night would be a sleepless one. It wasn't because of his recent run in with the assistant attorney general, but because of something unrelated he couldn't shake.

Monday morning arrived so fast, Rick wondered where the weekend had gone. Part of that feeling, he knew, came from dreading his meeting with the woman who so unceremoniously invited him for a swim. He rode alone in the elevator to the fifth-floor offices, and was directed to a conference room.

Michonne was late to work, and wasn't going to have time to go over the files of her investigators, and according to her secretary, Rick Grimes was already there.

Rick walked over to the window to look out when the door opened and he turned. She walked in and had her eyes on one of the files in her hand.

"Special investigator Richard Grimes."

When she looked up, her jaw dropped. She quickly closed her mouth and set her jaw to cover her shock. She sized him up quickly as she made her way to a chair at the conference table. She could tell he carried himself well, and something she noticed about him that had to be pushed to the back of her mind; he was extremely handsome.

"Well, we meet again."

They eyed each other for a moment before he spoke.

"I'm sorry I spilled the drink on you."

"No need to apologize. I won't hold it against you."

"Whether you do or not, that's not why I'm apologizing."

She looked up and into his eyes and realized he wasn't typical, not in the least, and she had misjudged him. He was genuinely apologizing.

"Apology accepted." She said surprised by what she saw in his eyes. "Please, sit down. May I call you Rick?"

"Yes, of course." He said taking a seat.

"Where's your partner?"

"Family emergency this morning."

"Is everything alright?"

"It was minor. She's on her way."

Before Michonne could continue, Rick's partner Katie Dixon arrived.

"Sorry I'm late." Katie said breezing into the office and taking a seat next to Rick.

The three of them sat and talked about their case load. She handed Rick a copy of their first case. Their service records were excellent, she noted glancing down at their individual files. The two of them had been partners for two years.

"Roland Pitman. He was tried two years ago on drug trafficking charges."

"Tried, but not convicted? What happened?" Rick asked handing Katie the file.

"Weak evidence."

"What are we going for?" Katie asked.

"Anything. One of his known associates is looking for a plea bargain on a similar charge. He dropped a dime on Pitman. All he said was that it was something we might find interesting located at this address."

She reached across her desk and handed Rick a slip of paper.

"Can you get us a search warrant?" Rick said standing.

"The request has already been made, but don't make a move until you have the warrant. I want this done right Rick. We can't let him slip this time."

"Yes ma'am."

"I wonder if she ever smiles." Katie said as they rode down in the elevator.

"I saw her smile at the party, but it wasn't real."

As soon as they reached their desks, his phone rang.

"Grimes."

"Rick, the search warrant is being printed up now."

"Did you have it on your desk the whole time?"

"Not exactly."

"Thanks." He hung up the phone and called for Katie.

Armed with the search warrant, Rick and Katie knocked on Pitman's door, and an elderly woman opened it.

"Yes."

"Ma'am, my name is Rick Grimes, and this is my partner Katie Dixon. We're special investigators assigned to the state attorney general's office. I apologize for that being a mouthful."

The woman smiled and nodded her head.

"How can I help you officer?"

"Ma'am, do you know Roland Pitman?"

"Yes, he's my son."

Rick looked at Katie.

"Ma'am, we have a warrant to arrest him and search your property."

"He's not here. What has he done now?"

"He's being charged with kidnapping ma'am." Katie said.

"May we come in and take a look around? We'll be respectful of your home ma'am." Rick said entering when she moved back from the door.

She showed them to the door of the basement where she said her son spends most of his time when he's there.

"Over the last few days, him and some men brought things in and put them down there. He said it was t-shirts they were going to sell at the county fair."

Katie switched on the basement lights and proceeded down the stairs with her gun drawn. Rick followed behind her. They saw the boxes Mrs. Pitman talked about. There was a desk with a computer and several hard copy files on it. Katie went to the desk and started looking through the files while Rick searched the boxes.

"Psst." Katie signaled to Rick.

Rick walked over to Katie who showed him the contents in the first folder she looked through. Rick clenched his jaw and started up the stairs.

"Call the team in Katie, and I want someone who can get into that computer."

"Who's here Mother?"

Rick heard a male voice upstairs before he reached the basement door and he drew his gun.

"You let the cops in? I told you not to let anyone in Mother."

Rick quietly entered the room unseen.

"Hands up where I can see them Pitman." Rick said.

"Why?"

"You're under arrest for possession of pornographic material involving children. And once we go through that computer down there, I'm sure we'll find other things we can charge you with."

Pitman grabbed his mother and swung her at Rick and ran out the door. Rick grabbed for the woman and eased her down on a chair.

"He's running Katie!" Rick yelled.

Rick quickly bolted out the door after Pitman. Rick saw him limping and hopping as fast as he could about a block away. Apparently, Rick thought, Pitman got injured running from the house. Rick caught him easily and handcuffed him with no resistance.

He read him his rights and let him catch his breath before they walked back.

"The key is stretching before you run." Rick said sarcastically.

Rick had wanted to beat the man senseless because of what he saw in those files, but that wasn't his job.

"I hate writing reports." Katie said rubbing her eyes.

"Tell me something new about writing reports." Rick said sitting back in his chair.

She looked at Rick with a blank stare.

"I got nothing." She said finally. "I have a question for you, what do you think of her?"

"Who?" Rick said pinching at the bridge of his nose.

"Michonne." Katie stated deadpan and glared at her partner.

"I don't know. She's not exactly being herself I don't think."

"What do you think of her?"

"What you said. I was trying to put my finger on it, and that's it. She's closed off, which I can understand, but we're supposed to be a team."

Rick considered what Katie had said. They were supposed to be a team, but how could they when you don't trust the team leader.

"I heard she was at Sam Kingston's pool party in a drop dead gorgeous bikini, and you fell into the pool."

"She was and I did." Rick said slightly embarrassed.

"How did that happen?"

"I was pushed"

"Who would do that?"

"The assistant attorney general."

"No!" Katie exclaimed giggling. "What did you do to deserve that?"

"I accidentally spilled a drink on her."

This time she laughed out loud at Rick's expense whose face reddened.

"I swear you need constant supervision. Is that why we've been assigned to her?"

"No. That was decided earlier."

"I hope she doesn't hold what you did against us."

"She said she wouldn't."

"Do you believe her?"

"Yes, I do."

She giggled and watched him trying to overcome his embarrassment.

"You're such a boy scout Grimes."

He looked into Katie's eyes briefly and she saw something in his eyes that was different, something thoughtful and a little tender. Somehow, she knew that look was all about the assistant attorney general.

Michonne decided to take the stairs at the end of her day. It was later than when she usually left, but she had been going through the evidence Rick and Katie had gathered. She peeked into the investigators room and saw Rick still at his desk.

"What are you doing here?" She asked sitting in a chair beside his desk.

When he looked up, she noticed his eyes were red and he looked tired. He looked in her eyes as if trying to recall who she was.

"Just wondering why I do this job."

"You do it because it's what you were called to do."

"Is that why you do it?"

"Me? No way. I'm in it for the money." She said attempting a smile.

"Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't pretend you're enjoying yourself here, and don't attempt to make small talk when you really don't feel like it. You walk around here smiling and pretending to be someone you're not."

She was shocked and it showed on her face.

"You and I just met, not under the best circumstances, but it is what it is. You don't trust me, and I can't trust you. Maybe it's just because we don't know each other very well; that will come with time, but the least you can do is to be real with me and Katie, and please stop blowing smoke up my behind Michonne."

He kept his eyes locked on hers as he got up to leave. She was undone. She looked around the room to see if anyone had overheard, luckily, no one did. She stood up and walked over to Tom's office.

"Why are you still here Michonne?"

"I can ask you the same question."

"I had some business to take care of earlier. I saw you talking to Rick. Did he finally go home?"

"I guess so."

"What happened?"

"I was attempting to chat with him…"

"And he smelled manure."

She rolled her eyes and tried to explain.

"Michonne, I know you're not a real people person and I know why. You don't have to schmooze Rick. He gets it. That man is the real deal, and not real sociable either. Don't try to find trust in him or make him show you trust. Just trust him and your team Michonne, you can, and you need that right now. You need him."

She looked at him curiously wondering why he would say that to her. Wonder though she did, she knew he was right. She finally nodded without further comment and left the office.

His house was easy to find, and even though she thought what she was doing was a bad idea, she had to get it right between them, and it had to be done now.

She knocked on the door and shortly after, a boy of about twelve answered the door.

"Hello. My name is Michonne, is Rick here?"

"Yes. Hold on." He said eyeing her cautiously.

The boy closed the door, and Rick opened it a short time later. He had a two-year-old in his arms. The scene was so unexpected to her, she wanted to smile. Especially the way he was wearing his hair. At work it was combed back, but at home, it was down over his forehead.

"Michonne, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

The look in her eyes made him consent and let her inside.

"This is my son Carl and my daughter Judith."

Michonne gave the little girl an uncomfortable smile and Rick asked Carl to take his sister to her room.

"I-I didn't know you had children. If this is a bad time..." She stuttered.

"No. Please, sit down." He said motioning to the couch. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I was wrong about you and I'm sorry."

He searched her eyes.

"Go on." He said knowing there was more.

"I have trust issues, but I need to trust someone, and I want it to be you. There's no one else I feel I can trust."

He could see the pain in her eyes and that she was no longer pretending.

"Neither do I."

"Dad, the pizza's here."

"Will you join us for dinner?"

She smiled a genuine smile and nodded.

The next day, on his way home from work, Rick passed the staircase on his way out and saw Michonne descending the stairs.

"You're here late. Have you started building your case?" He said waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her.

"Yes. There's quite a bit of evidence you two gathered. Good job."

"Thanks."

"You look tired."

"I am. I was on my way home. I'll walk you out."

"What are you doing for dinner?"

"My kids are with my mother-in-law, and I don't have any plans."

"Meet me at Buck's around the corner. My treat."

"Alright."

She regarded him carefully and sensed reluctance in his tone.

"You don't have to join me."

"That's not it. Have you been to Buck's?"

"Yeah. I go there all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When I can, I go there to watch Falcons games."

"I don't know whether to be shocked, impressed or both."

"Don't let the skirt fool you."

"I won't."

Buck's was not the type of place he pictured her in. It wasn't what you would ever call classy, it was a sport's bar/restaurant with pretty decent food. But what stood out to him was that she seemed to be a regular person, and not the phony representation she was dishing out.

"Michonne!"

"Hey Buck." She said walking up to the bar.

"Rick." Buck acknowledged Rick coolly.

"Buck."

Buck stopped and gazed at Rick a while.

"Why are you hanging out with this mouth piece Rick?"

"She's my boss."

Buck laughed with genuine amusement.

"Criminals beware. The A Team has just been formed."

Michonne laughed and continued to a booth towards the back near a window. Rick sat with his back facing the rear of the building. He really didn't have to search the place because Buck's was a popular hangout for the Atlanta police department.

"Come here often?" He asked her.

"Just during football season, and I like the food. They have great chili dogs."

Michonne noticed Rick looking over at Buck from time to time.

"How do you know Buck?"

"He's my father-in-law."

He looked at her quickly, but read her face perfectly.

"Yeah. We were friends until I married his daughter and she started complaining about me being a cop."

"It seems like he thinks you're a good cop."

"He does, but his daughter was unhappy."

It seemed to her that his marriage was a sore spot with him, so she avoided bringing it up.

"We could have gone somewhere else."

"No, this is fine."

They placed their orders and Michonne openly looked in his face before speaking.

"Rick, you seem more thoughtful than usual."

"It's your case. Crime in general is bad enough, but when children are involved, it sticks with me for a while."

She lowered her eyes and nodded.

"I know what you mean. This is going to be tough."

"You're going to win." He said looking directly into her eyes. "The evidence is solid, no matter what Pitman pleads, and I have no doubt you'll own that courtroom."

She searched his eyes curiously, and smiled. She believed him.

"I like your confidence in me."

"It's well placed. You're not just a suit and a pretty face."

She brightly smiled at the compliment and the slight change in the color of his face.

"And you're not all hat and no cattle."

He smiled his approval at their mutual assessments and picked up his beer bottle and tapped it to hers. She laughed out loud.

"Are we corny or what?" She asked.

"Yeah, just a little bit, but I think we got it right."

She nodded seriously and this time she tapped her bottle to his.

The night before the trial, Rick went to see Michonne knowing she would be in her office. He knocked on the door and she looked up from the computer monitor, and saw him looking at her through the glass. She waved him in and continued typing on the keyboard.

"I thought you'd be relaxing somewhere." He said sitting in the chair in front of her desk.

"I thought _you'd_ be relaxing somewhere. You and Katie have passed the baton to me. It's my turn now."

"So, there's more you need for tomorrow?"

"I'm just going over the information, again." She said a little embarrassed by her nervousness.

"You're more than prepared. What has you wrestling with what you already know?"

"I wish I knew." She said leaning back and rubbing her eyes.

"Go home Michonne and get some sleep. You're less cranky when you're rested."

"Back at ya Grimes." She smirked.

He smiled and glanced away for a moment.

"Are you worried?"

"A little. Like you said, a case like this, where children are the victims; it's a little more than unsettling."

"Yes, it is, but you standing up in that courtroom tomorrow is for them. You'll be speaking for those who can't speak for themselves. You can handle this better than anyone I know, and you won't fail them Michonne."

Michonne appreciated his supported. She needed that more than he could ever imagine.

They looked in each other's eyes for a long time; resting in the unwavering support and feeding on what they both needed. Finally, she reluctantly pulled her eyes away, stood up, yawned, and turned off the computer.

"Early breakfast?"

"Why not."

She grabbed her bag while Rick took her jacket off the coat hanger.

They sat together in comfortable silence before it was broken by Michonne. She cleared her throat causing him to look up.

"Why are you up Rick? You work hard every day, but I'm starting to see fatigue creeping in around the edges."

He looked at her a long time before speaking.

"I haven't slept in a very long time. I catch cat naps on my lunch break, and then end up awake most nights."

"So, you wander around and wait until your body makes you sleep."

"Something like that."

She wanted to know why, but left that alone. If he wanted to tell her, she felt he would. They both had walls up for their own protection, and they each knew that about the other.

"When you're ready to tell me why, I'll be ready to listen."

He smiled sadly and nodded.

After breakfast, he walked her to her car.

"Will you be there tomorrow?" She asked somewhat shyly.

"I wouldn't miss it. You'll be stellar."

"Stellar?" She smiled shaking her head at his word choice.

"Yeah, it means..." He teased.

She gave him a disapproving look.

"Thank you, Rick." She said quietly. "Oh, try melatonin, it might help you relax enough to get some sleep."

He closed his eyes and this time shook his head.

"Thanks for the tip counselor."

He stepped away from her car and waited until she drove off.

Michonne took Rick's advice and headed to her bed. The hot shower she took really helped her relax and she smiled to herself having really enjoyed their breakfast together, and all the other times as well. As she drifted off to sleep a fleeting thought entered her mind… _he's the one._

She was up early with the thought she fell asleep to. She devoted one minute to think on it, then she pushed it to the back of her mind, and concentrated on the trial.

When she got to her office, she found a note taped to her computer screen. She peeled it off and opened it.

 _This is for them. You got this._

 _Rick_

She smiled and instantly felt even better than when she woke up.

Rick could see her reading his note when he walked to her office. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Thanks." She said holding up the note.

"You ready?"

She looked up and saw Rick and his partner.

"What's this?"

"Police escort ma'am." Katie said with a smile.

"Is this necessary?"

"No, but you could break a nail between here and the courtroom, and you women are..." Rick said bracing for the backlash.

"What?" Michonne asked.

"Yeah, what?" Katie said chiming in.

"Particular about grooming." Rick said thinking fast.

"That was lame Grimes." Katie stated with a laugh.

Rick and Katie entered the courtroom behind Michonne. Before taking his seat, Rick squeezed Michonne's arm and she nodded. He watched her as she proceeded to her place in the courtroom.

"She'll be fine." Katie said.

"Yes, she will."

Rick watched her in awe. She was magnificent, but when the photographic evidence of the victims was displayed for the jury, he noticed how she subtly cast her eyes away and squeezed them shut. For the remainder of the trial, he noticed the slight difference in her demeanor. This case was affecting her, but she remained steadfast.

The trial lasted approximately two hours. Michonne was quick to get her points across to the judge and the jury. The jury deliberated for less than thirty minutes.

After the trial, Rick made himself scarce until the frenzy was over and then went to see her late in the afternoon.

"Well done counselor." He said standing in the doorway.

"Thanks." She said taking a quick glance at him.

He knew the victory was hollow for her in view of the toll it took on her. He closed the door when he noticed she was moving around her office, nervously pushing books and papers aimlessly around on her desk.

"Michonne."

"Yeah." She said trying to sound busy.

"I know you gave up something when you took that case."

She finally stopped and looked at him. When their eyes met, he saw the heartbreaking sadness in hers. All the confidence she had built up for that trial, was nearly depleted.

"I'm really glad the trial was a short one." She said still fidgeting.

She took a couple deep breaths and looked down at her hands, they were shaking. She turned away from him and placed her shaking hands on her desk.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

She inhaled and turned to face him.

"I had a child Rick." She said with a stiff chin and tears in her eyes. "A boy. He was three years old. He was killed in a car accident. My boyfriend, my son's father, was driving drunk." A sob caught in her throat and her lips trembled. "He walked away without a scratch." She bit out turning her back to Rick.

She could no longer speak, but she moaned deep in her chest and her body heaved with emotion. Her sobs tore at his heart as he watched her now standing, bowed over, defenseless and without strength.

He reached behind him and turned the dial to dim the lights down a bit. He walked over to her and when she sensed his approach, she turned around and held up her hands to ward him off.

"No." She cried out and would not meet his eyes.

He stopped his advance and it hurt his heart to see her that way. She looked like a weak and cornered animal. Emanating from her was a feeling of being caught in a trap who would eventually strike out. He slowly reached out his hand and gently touched her arm and she flinched.

"Michonne." He talked to her in a slow quiet tone to cover up the overwhelming emotion in his own voice. "Please, come here."

She looked up into his eyes and knew he meant her no harm. Her slight move toward him was all he needed to close the gap between them. He gently put his arms around her and held her tightly while she wept. Her great sobs made tears fall from his eyes. This unexpressed pain in her threatened to untie his resolve because he understood what she had gone through. It dawned on him that this was what was in her eyes when he first saw her. A pain that can't be covered up by laughter or a sweet smile. A pain like no other. The impact from the loss of a child can only stay buried for so long before it burst out.

After a while, her sobs subsided and she wiped the tears from her eyes and moved slightly in his arms and he released her.

"Thank you." She said turning her back to him again.

He cleared his throat and used the palms of both his hands to wipe his tears. "Get your jacket. Let's go for a walk." He sniffed back tears.

She gave him a sad smile and grabbed some tissue from her desk and handed some to him before grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair.

The night air was fresh and cool. He took her elbow as they crossed the street to the park. A few people were out jogging along the path.

"It's getting chilly out these days." She said thrusting her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

She really hadn't expected him to respond to her statement, but wondered if he had been listening to her at all. They walked several moments in silence before she spoke.

"I'm sorry about breaking down like that."

"Don't apologize for that. Obviously, you needed to."

"Thank you for understanding that. I've never met anyone who could, especially someone of the opposite sex."

"Grief knows no gender. We both went through something in the courtroom today. I'm proud of you Michonne. Knowing what I know about you now, you bit the bullet and did your job."

The silence came again, but it was comfortable like before; like warm sunshine. She looked over at him and noticed he was looking down at the ground, focusing on the path in front of his feet.

"Rick, what is it?"

He inhaled and looked up and over at the street to his left and then to the trees along the path.

"My wife died in a car accident as well. The weather was much like this. She died before I could get to the hospital. I walked out of the hospital and walked about five miles before I stopped and finally let it hit me."

He looked down and swallowed hard.

"My family fell apart. My son looks at me like I'm a stranger. I'm afraid I've lost him. I'm alone in this world, like you, and it's not easy to find someone you can trust." His voice broke and tears filled his eyes.

As a tear slipped down his cheek, she watched him hastily wipe it away. She stopped and touched his arm.

"Good thing you got me then."

He laughed recalling their near miss at being friends.

"Yeah."

"I have an idea. I need help with a couple of things at my house. Is it alright if Carl lends me a hand? Maybe he and I can strike up a conversation."

"Alright, I'll ask him. Thank you."

He inhaled deeply and laughed to shake off the emotion in his voice.

"Just so you know, you're taking on a lot being my friend. I can be a handful."

"If you recall, I can be too." She mocked her best mean face.

They both smiled and continued walking.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"Yeah. How about I cook a late dinner for us?"

"Not your cooking." He said shaking his head.

"Why not?" She asked.

He looked away and smiled.

"I don't trust the cooking of an attorney as good as you are." He smirked.

"That's not right."

"Am I wrong?" He stopped walking and looked at her directly.

"Well…" She smiled sweetly.

"All those hours spent learning all those fancy Latin words, how to convince a jury, and living on fast food and TV dinners. When would you have time to learn how to cook?"

She laughed and they slowly started walking again.

"Do I look like I eat a lot of fast food?"

Without looking at her, he smiled, mostly to himself.

"Not at all."

"I can cook."

"Heating up a can of soup doesn't count Michonne."

"Agh!" She said punching him in his arm.

"You sure you wanna be my friend?"

They both laughed and she took his arm and they continued their walk through the park. They talked about the mundane things that involve their contributions to law enforcement and how difficult their jobs could be sometimes. From time to time, they would steal looks at each other, grateful to have someone to share their thoughts and pain with.

In the shadows in a vacant apartment across the street from the park, eyes looked down on the couple.

"Is that her?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"Who's that guy with her?"

"I think he's a cop."

"Should we shoot him?"

"I don't want a dead cop on my hands, I just want her to know fear. Fear that's going to last her for the rest of her life. I'm patient, we'll wait."


	2. Chapter 2

Rick dropped Carl off at Michonne's shortly before noon. She came out of her house and met them at the car. Rick openly gaped at her in jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt.

"Hey!" She said smiling brightly.

"I'm sorry ma'am, we're looking for Michonne Mitchell. She a smart dresser, probably wearing a suit."

"Funny Grimes."

"Hi Carl. Thanks for helping me today."

"You're welcome."

"I'm taking Judith to the kiddie park to play for a few hours. I'll be back around two."

"Great. I'll have lunch ready."

"You're not cooking it are you?"

"Scram Grimes."

He laughed and drove off.

"What are we doing today?" Carl asked.

"I need help moving some furniture around. Come on in."

As they worked, she noticed that Carl was watching her closely and wondered what that was all about. She stopped what she was doing and watched him for a few minutes.

"You want to ask me something?"

He stopped and looked directly in her eyes.

"Are you my dad's girlfriend?"

Michonne was a little shocked by the question, but recovered quickly.

"No. We're just friends. Is that alright with you?"

"I guess. He's a little happier now."

"Happier?"

"Yeah. Ever since my mom died, he hasn't been too happy."

"You seem to be angry with him. Are you?"

"No." He said quietly avoiding eye contact with Michonne.

She touched his shoulder to get him to look at her.

"Are you sure? Sometimes we get angry with the people we love. There's nothing wrong with that, but you're not supposed to be angry with them for a whole day without talking to them. Have you tried talking to your dad?"

"He's always too busy. I hear him walking around at night. He'll look in my room, but he never says anything to me."

"Have you said anything to him?"

Carl was silent.

"I think your dad wants to talk to you, but sometime we adults don't know what to say. We need your help too."

She could see Carl was thinking about what she said.

"How can I help him?"

"Talk to him, he'll talk back. He loves you Carl. He's hurting just like you are. Talk to him about your mom, and be nice. Okay?"

"Okay." Carl said smiling. "Do you have any kids?"

"No."

"You would be a good mom."

She looked at Carl and smiled sadly.

"I did have a son but he died."

"How old was he?"

"Three."

"I'm sorry Michonne."

"Thanks Carl." She smiled and messed up his long hair.

Michonne had the bright idea to move a large chest of drawers from one bedroom to another. They got it out of the bedroom it was in, but because of the angle of the door of the adjacent bedroom, it got stuck. They tried several ways to move it around, but nothing worked.

"What do you think Carl?"

"I think we should wait for my dad."

"I think you're right. Can you hop over to get to this side? I'll help you."

Carl easily hopped up and over the top of the chest of drawers.

"Well, I've had enough for one day. How about you?"

"I could do more." Carl said.

Suddenly she remembered something.

"Instead of more work, I have something I think you might like."

She went over to her hall closet and rummaged around for a few moments and pulled out a box.

"I ordered this for me a long time ago, but I never got around to using it."

She blew dust off the box and Carl laughed, then his eyes got big.

"A remote-control helicopter!"

"You think you might like it?"

"Yes!"

"It's yours."

"Thank you!"

She smiled and handed the box to him.

"You're welcome. What batteries does it take, I might have them." She said getting up and going into her kitchen pantry.

"The box says double A, four of them."

"Cool! I have eight."

She brought the batteries to him just as he had unboxed the helicopter. He quickly put it together and did a test run which buzzed over the top of her head.

"Okay, you'll have to go outside with that." She said ducking.

"Okay." He said bolting towards the backyard.

"What do you want for lunch?" She called after him.

"Pizza?"

"You're awesome Carl!"

Rick walked up to the door with a sleeping Judith in his arms and rang the bell. Michonne walked up to the door and opened it. The sight of this police detective holding a baby with a diaper bag on his shoulder made her chuckle. She pointed to a room down the hallway.

"There's a bed in that room over there."

Rick went to lay Judith down and when he turned around to leave, saw Michonne was standing behind him looking down at the sleeping girl with a mixture of sadness and longing. She finally looked up and saw he had been looking at her.

"Carl's in the backyard." She said clearly agitated. "I found something to grab his attention."

Rick touched her arm to calm her.

"What's wrong?"

She folded her arms and focused on the floor and then looked over at Judith.

"I haven't been around any small children in a while that's all."

"I know there's more to it than that. You can spend some time with her if you want. I want you to be comfortable around my children."

Rick turned and left Michonne alone with Judith. As if on cue, Judith sat up and started to whimper. Michonne froze in place, willing the child to go back to sleep. Judith made a move to get off the bed and Michonne quickly went to her to prevent her from falling off. She scooped the child up into her arms, and the half sleep Judith laid her head on Michonne's shoulder and drifted back to sleep. She leaned her head against the child's small head and smiled noting how she still smelled like a baby. The feeling was almost overwhelming, but something in it was healing to her and she embraced it.

Without her knowing, Rick had walked back and stood in the doorway and watched Michonne holding Judith in her arms, gently patting her back. He inhaled a shaky, satisfying breath watching the two of them. Michonne was quickly becoming a good friend to him, maybe even his best friend, and this is what he had wanted. He wanted his children to like her as much as he did. Hearing the faint buzzing in the backyard, Rick thought this was the perfect time to leave Michonne alone with Judith.

Michonne gingerly lay Judith back down on the bed and sat down next to her and smoothed back the fine baby hair on her head. She wanted to love again and it made her heart ache looking down at this sweet child who was opening her up to make that a possibility.

"He says you don't talk to him." Michonne said joining Rick who was standing at the sliding glass doors watching Carl.

"We keep missing the opportunity."

"You always being busy is what he called it. Go out there and spend time with your son Grimes. You're still his favorite guy. I was just about to order pizza."

"That sounds safe."

She ignored the poke at her lack of cooking skills and gently nudged him toward the door. He turned back to look at her and she nodded. Rick opened the doors and walked over to Carl.

"Hey, how was your day?" Rick asked Carl.

"It was pretty good. Isn't this cool?"

"Yeah, pretty cool."

"Michonne gave it to me. You wanna try?"

"No, you go ahead".

"Carl, I'm sorry I haven't spent much time with you."

"That's okay. Do you think we can start now?"

Rick smiled nervously and nodded.

"What did you guys do today?"

"We moved a chest. Oh yeah…" Carl carefully landed the helicopter and put the control down on the ground. "We need your help with something Dad. We got a piece of furniture stuck in a doorway."

Rick followed Carl into the house and found Michonne standing in the hallway looking at the stuck chest. Rick stood there and scratched his head. Michonne looked up at him and shrugged.

"I'll leave you to this. I'm going to check on Judith."

Rick nodded at Michonne as he contemplated getting the chest into the room.

Judith was just waking up when Michonne peeked into the room. Michonne smiled and helped Judith down from the bed.

"Potty." Judith said looking up at Michonne.

Michonne smiled and gave thanks for a potty-trained two-year-old.

Michonne giggled at the grunting and exclamations coming from Rick and Carl. Judith held onto Michonne's finger as they walked to where the sounds of her father and brother came from.

"Car." She said looking up at Michonne.

"Yes, Carl."

By the time they reached the bedroom, Rick and Carl had the chest of drawers in the bedroom with very little damage to the inside of the doorway. Judith ran to Rick who picked her up.

"Good job." Michonne said looking at the chest. Then she put a finger to her chin, eyeing it thoughtfully.

"What?" Rick asked curiously.

"Maybe it was better where it was." Michonne said looking innocently at Rick.

His face crumbled into a frown.

"Do you know how hard it was to get it in here?"

Michonne burst into laughter and Carl joined her.

"Decompress cowboy, I was kidding. It looks great in here."

The doorbell rang and Michonne went to answer it.

"Pizza's here." Michonne called out.

While they sat and ate, both Rick and Michonne felt slightly awkward. This was too good, too comfortable. The four of them felt like a family. _What was this?_ He thought glancing over at her. She sat between Carl and Judith, equally dividing her time with them.

Michonne's mind was reeling with a thought that scared her. _I hope he doesn't think I'm trying to catch him through his children._ She slyly looked at him and was stunned that he was looking at her. Their gaze held for a moment before they both looked away.

To cope with the awkwardness of the situation, they both put on their professional airs and pushed through the rest of the afternoon.

As they prepared to leave, Carl gave Michonne a quick and awkward hug.

"Thanks, Michonne."

"You're welcome Carl."

"Thanks." Rick said just as Michonne ran her hand over Judith's hair again.

"Thank you." She said touching his arm. "Rick, I never apologized for pushing you into the pool."

"I was told that was the adult version of a girl socking the boy she likes in the arm. I'm okay with that." He said smiling as he walked away.

She stood there speechless with the feeling that was exactly why she had pushed him in the pool.

As she watched them drive away, a tear slid down her cheek. The day they spent together was like a day she hadn't had in years. He was a wonderful man and as she thought about him, she recalled every touch, every glance. She loved having him in her life. _Could there be more?_

"Did you have fun today?" Rick asked Carl when they arrived home.

"Yes. Michonne's funny."

"Really?" Rick said smiling. "I usually only see her at work, and she's not much fun there."

"Well, she's your boss."

Rick scoffed and nodded.

"Yes, she is."

"I asked her if she was your girlfriend."

Rick turned for a second to look at Carl.

"W-what did she say?"

"She said she wasn't." Carl looked at his dad curiously. "Is she?"

"No. We're just friends."

"That's what she said. It would be okay if she was Dad, if she was your girlfriend. I really like her."

Rick thought how interesting conversations seem to fit together with stuff already in your head. More than on one occasion he had thought about Michonne as more than just a friend. If there was a chance of that, it would have to be up to her because as far as he was concerned…he let his mind wander with a smile on his face.

With another sleepless night ahead of him, Rick finally decided to check the messages on his cell phone. When he got to the one from Tom, he wished he had left his phone off.

 _Formal dinner party next week given for a higher-up from Washington. Formal dress. You need to be there_.

Rick acknowledged that he received the message.

Michonne received a message to attend a formal dinner party. She rolled her eyes and within minutes decided to where a dress she already had. Since the message was from Tom, she wondered if Rick had gotten the same message. She wasn't going to share the information with him, just in case he was invited, to avoid that awkwardness that comes from deciding to ride together or go stag.

Security was needed for the formal party, but instead of hanging out around the perimeter, Rick was needed inside, mingling with the guests. He would bet money Michonne got the same message, but bringing it up would leave him wondering if he should ask her to be his date or just say he would see her there. After a quick deliberation, he opted not to mention it.

Over the next week, Rick saw very little of Michonne. She was busy trying cases he hadn't been involved in. On the day of the dinner, he left work early to buy the appropriate suit. He knew nothing about black tie affairs, but when he put the tux on, he understood the word formal. The salesman instructed him on how to work the tie, and he was set.

In her walk-in closet, Michonne went right to the formal dress she had in mind. It was a black strapless gown with a full short skirt and a hemline that was just above her knees. On this occasion, she decided to wear her hair down and smiled at her image in the mirror. The three-inch heels she chose were perfect. If Rick is going to be there, he's going to love this, she thought.

Rick had been instructed to be at the dinner early. He was to be just one of the guests, but he needed to keep his eyes on things.

As the guests began to arrive, someone behind him gently touched him and he moved to one side turning around.

"Excuse me, but I was looking for the ladies' room." She paused and let herself get lost for a moment in his eyes. "Ah, this is a large room and I didn't want to spend the night walking all the way around it."

He appreciated her smile which exposed a dimple in her right cheek.

"My name is Jessie Anderson."

"Rick Grimes."

"It's nice to meet you. What organization are you associated with here?"

"Law enforcement, and the ladies' room is over there." He said pointing behind her.

She quickly turned in the direction he pointed, showing off the extremely low cut of her gown.

"Thank you. One more question." She said turning back.

"Shoot."

"Are you married?" She said looking down at the ring on his finger.

"Not anymore." He said seriously. This conversation didn't interest him, but he was a little amused by her. She was cute, but obviously on the prowl.

She smiled at him making sure he saw her best side.

"Maybe I'll bump into you later."

"Maybe." He said managing a smile back.

He watched as she walked away, and she actually turned back to see if he was. Inwardly shaking his head, he examined what just transpired and how unimpressed he was by the beautiful woman he just talked to, and then again maybe he needed his head examined. He was ready to move on, and she was indeed beautiful, but he wanted more, someone who knew his heart.

He milled around a bit and he turned and there she was. He could feel his face go slack as he took her all in. He caught her eye and a small smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and he slightly bowed his head, returning her smile. He gave her a thumbs-up which she returned and pointed at him. She was indeed gorgeous, and he decided she needed an up close and more personal compliment.

"Ouch." He said close to her ear.

"You like?" She said smiling and batting her eyes.

"Very much."

He stood in front of her and took a good look from her toes up. The smile on his face spoke to her and sent the butterflies in her stomach soaring. When his eyes finally reached hers, what he saw in them made him look away.

"You clean up nice Grimes." She said putting an end to the awkwardness.

"Thank you." He said looking back to her eyes.

Before he could say more a tall, well-built gentleman walked up and also looked her over with a big smile

"Michonne." He said with so much wanting it nearly caused Rick to wince.

The man stepped closer, put a hand on her waist and kissed her cheek. Rick's face felt hot and he took a few steps back.

"Terry?"

"Hi Michonne."

"It's been a long time."

"Yeah, but you haven't changed."

"I have." She said blandly.

"You, no way. You're still the fierce warrior."

"Warrior yes, fierce, not so much."

"You still look incredible Michonne."

"Thank you. Terry, this is my friend Rick Grimes. Rick, Terry Coleman."

The two men shook hands and made eye contact like two strutting roosters attempting to impress a hen.

"I apologize for rolling up on your date Rick, but I haven't seen Michonne in a long time."

As much as Rick wanted to claim Michonne as his date, he couldn't and wanted to kick himself for not bringing her as his date to the dinner party.

"Like the lady said, I'm her friend. You two enjoy yourselves."

Rick's eyes met Michonne's and he flashed her a quick smile reminding her how terrific he thought she looked, and he walked away.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Michonne inhaled and pulled her eyes from Rick walking away and looked up at Terry.

"No, not at all. It's good to see you again."

"Same here Michonne. You look well." He said sincerely.

"It's getting better every day."

"Does Rick Grimes have anything to do with that?"

"Some. He's been a good friend."

"I'll have to thank him."

Her face formed a slight frown.

"I've worried about you Michonne. It was like you vanished."

"I meant to."

"Have you heard from Mike?"

Her eyes flashed at his.

"No. Why would I?"

"I just thought he would have tried to contact you."

"No Terry he hasn't, and besides, you were more his friend than mine."

"I haven't heard from him either, I just thought you might have."

Michonne felt a chill over her body at the mention of Mike's name. Her mind flashed at how pathetic he had been after the death of their son. She could still see the look on his face. He couldn't even look her in the eyes. He couldn't even comfort her. When she tried to comfort him, he angrily pushed her away, and after the funeral, he left her.

A soft ding rang out in the room signaling it was time for dinner. Luckily, Rick was seated across from and two people to the left of Michonne, but Jessie was seated next to him on his right. Terry Coleman had been seated at a different table.

Jessie talked periodically to Rick, with some of her attention pulled away by the man to her right. Rick openly looked at Michonne who was oblivious to his gaze. She was different now. No longer was there a plastic smile fixed on her expressively beautiful face. The smile was real and it made him want to smile.

After the meal, some of the guests started to dance. Rick watched Michonne go out onto the floor with her friend and felt the top of his ears get warm. The man's arms went around her waist and he pulled her a little too close for Rick's comfort. He had to forcibly walk away from the scene. When Michonne looked to where he had been standing, she saw he was gone.

Rick climbed the enormous staircase and stood at the top. He stood by the wall gaining the perfect vantage point. He could see everything, including Michonne.

A strange feeling came over Michonne and she looked up and saw him. The look on his face was clear.

"Terry, I need some air."

Rick watched them leave the dance floor and go out onto the terrace. He took the long way around the building and out into the yard where he could see them standing together on the balcony. _What am I doing?_ He said out loud _._ They weren't doing much, but clearly that man wanted to kiss her. Rick looked down at the ground and felt bad for spying on her. Michonne wasn't his girl, and she wasn't his responsibility. She could do whatever she wanted to and with whoever. He turned and went back into the party.

"I've always had feelings for you Michonne." Terry said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Even when I was with Mike?" She asked frankly.

"I hate to admit it, but yes."

Suddenly, Michonne felt uncomfortable and a little more than sick to her stomach. Terry was the friend of her ex, not hers. He was just an acquaintance to her. His confession and attention put her off, and on top of that, she was being spied on by her best friend.

"Terry, it's been nice seeing you again, but I'm going to go home. I'm tired and I have an early morning."

"But tomorrow's Saturday."

"I know, but I've got a case to start building."

"Can I help?"

She tried to smile, but she didn't feel like smiling.

"No Terry. I know you're a lawyer, and a good one, but…"

"I'm not in your league?"

"That's not it Terry."

"Rick Grimes?"

She inhaled and ignored his inquiry about Rick.

"I'll tell you what. After this case, let's have dinner."

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Okay."

She politely moved past him and back into the party. She quickly saw Rick and noted he was chatting with that blond woman she saw him with earlier. She openly stared at him until he turned and saw her. From across the room, he felt the heat from her attitude where he stood. She was clearly upset and he watched her leave the house. He excused himself to Jessie and followed Michonne out.

"Hey!" He called out to her.

"Go back to your conversation Rick, you might get lucky." She said getting into her car.

"What are you talking about?" He asked standing at the car frowning at her.

She rolled down the window and glared at him.

"You were so busy spying on me, you should have been concentrating on the one woman in there who was actually interested."

Rick stood there not quite knowing how to respond.

"Can we talk?" He asked quietly.

"About what Rick?" She paused for a moment. "When you want to talk about something I want to hear, let me know."

He stood there speechless and watched her drive away. Footsteps running behind him caused him to turn around.

"Rick?"

"Did you two have a fight?"

"No, but from her tone with you just now, I should be asking you that question." Terry said attempting to glare at Rick, but was partially paled by Rick's.

Rick got into his car and drove to Michonne's. He pulled on his tie until it was loose, removed it, and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. She had asked him what would they talk about. That question weighed heavy on his mind because he knew what he wanted to talk to her about. He also understood why she was angry at him, and ever since he saw her with Terry Coleman, the feelings he's had for her for a while, came alive because he had been jealous.

She wiped at the angry tears flowing from her eyes. _Men could be such idiots!_ She thought as she drove carefully home. What did Terry want? _What does Rick want?_ When she got home, she grabbed her shoes and clutch out of the car and went into her house. She threw her shoes across the room, unzipped her dress and sat down on the couch and cried.

Her car was home when he got there, and it looked like she had just arrived because the house was still dark. He knocked on the door and she answered it. He saw she had been crying.

"What do you want Rick?" She asked sounding exhausted.

She turned and walked away from him.

"To talk if we can." He said quietly. "You asked me about what, I know now what I want to talk to you about."

She looked at him for a moment before she commented.

"I can only imagine what you have to say, and I doubt if you're even close."

"Try me." He said closing the door behind him.

Instead of stepping all the way into the room, he stayed where he stood and waited for her response.

"We were at a great party tonight, but we went alone. Why? We flirted with each other the whole time." She smiled sadly. "What we really wanted was to be there together. If I'm wrong, tell me."

He walked over to her and stood inches from her.

"I couldn't have said it better. You're not wrong Michonne."

He took her in his arms and kissed her. The kiss was the most tender thing she had ever experienced. It was a kiss born out of mutual longing and love. She was right, he thought, all he wanted tonight was to be with her. Her body dissolved into his embrace and she put her arms over his shoulders, and her fingers entwined their way through his hair. When they broke the kiss, they both had tears in their eyes. She smoothed back his hair while he wiped the tears from her face.

He bent down and lifted her from her floor into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. While she was still in his arms, he kissed her again and slowly stood her up on the floor. He removed her dress and stood there gazing at her partially nude body while he took off his shirt.

"Rick." She objected putting a hand against his chest.

Her voice came out in one breathless gush. His eyes stayed on hers and right before he kissed her again, she saw his smile.

Every kiss, every touch, and every form of pleasure he could give was for her. He lowered her to the bed and slowly, without one thought of himself, began to make her his.

"Rick, stop. Please." She pleaded weakly as a small sense of panic rose in her.

He would have stopped if he believed she really wanted him to. She made a feeble attempt to push him away, but it was completely without strength. The struggle going on in her mind was futile. She chose to no longer fight what she had wanted all along. With a sweet smile, he saw before kissing her again, her submission was total and without reservation. She was his.

When she finally collapsed, extremely satisfied and breathless in his arms, he softly kissed her temple.

"Are you angry?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yes, and no. I asked you to stop."

"You could have easily gotten me to stop if you really wanted to."

She moved out of his arms and sat up. He sat up as well next to her with their backs against the headboard.

"Why didn't we have sex?" She asked boldly.

"Because I want us to be more than that. I don't want us to turn into each other's dependable piece. We enjoy staring at each across a crowded room because there is something between us stronger than sex. When I'm eighty years old, I'll still be staring at you, and it won't be because of the sex."

She laughed at this seeing how much sense he was making.

"I'm afraid Michonne, just like you are."

She looked at him with wide eyes and he reached over and ran a thumb over her cheek.

"I'm not afraid."

"Yeah, you are. I know certain things flashed through your mind like how you lost control, or how you could get pregnant; there are a lot of things to be afraid of letting someone get this close. I wasn't trying to scare you. I just wanted you to know how serious I am about you. Unfortunately, it took seeing another man's arms around you to wake me up to what was already there between you and me."

She started to comment, but the words wouldn't come. She had never experienced such loving pleasure in her life.

"You look as if I just beat you in a race. Did I make a mistake?"

"No." She said shaking her head. "I guess it's just that I've never had this before. Any of it."

He put an arm around her and held her close.

"Was I too much?"

"Just a bit." She said laughing. "But in the most incredibly mind blowing way."

He smiled sadly and wiped at the tear about to fall from his eye. He finally got up from the bed and put his shirt back on.

"You're leaving?"

"Not just yet. I have something else to say first."

He sat on her side of the bed and put an arm across her legs.

"What I'm about to say will either make or break us. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but we're sure about our feelings. I fell in love with you about three weeks ago. No one could have been more shocked than I was. What I want with you is something long term, permanent. One day, I want you to be my wife. I know that's a lot for you to hear right now, but that's how I feel, and why I'm going home."

"How do I respond to that?"

"I don't know." He scoffed with a break in his voice. "That's for you to figure out. I've told you how I feel."

He tied his shoes and she got out of the bed grabbing her robe from the foot of the bed.

"I don't want to rush you into this because this is for the rest of our lives. We can talk about it when you're ready."

He touched her face with his fingers and leaned forward and kissed her.

"Will you have lunch with me today?"

"Of course. I'm yours, you've made sure of that." She said with a smirk.

"Think about it long enough, and you'll see it's actually the other way around."

She thought about it and he watched the smile form on her face. He leaned forward again and kissed her cheek.

"You won the race Michonne. Without any effort at all, you chased me until I dropped, and you ended up being the last man standing."

She looked in his eyes and smiled. He took her by the hand and she walked with him to the door.

"No pressure?" She asked wide eyed.

"No pressure." He replied seriously.

She nodded and he put his arm around her waist pulling her into him. He kissed her lips and then her neck. He then groaned out loud knowing that if he didn't leave right then, he never would.

"I have a question to ask you. How were you able to hold out in there?" She asked squinting up at him.

He scoffed and smiled.

"I thought about filling out arrest reports."

"Pretty boring stuff huh?"

"You have no idea, and it worked, but if I don't leave now, I won't be thinking about arrest reports. I'll pick you up around three."

"Okay." She said smiling.

She stood in the opened door and watched him get in his car and drive away. She closed the door and leaned against it. She closed her eyes recalling every single second of the last hour. "That wasn't fair. You cheated Rick Grimes." She said out loud. She would need the whole day and a drink to recover from what just happened.

Rick stood in the shower hating the cold water that rained down on his head, but the smile on his face was warm.

Promptly at three, he pulled into her driveway and noticed a car parked at the curb in front of her house, and the front door was open. As he got out of the car, he saw Terry Colman walking through the door and across the lawn to his car. The man looked over at Rick. Just before he smiled, Rick caught a glimpse of his true attitude.

"Rick." He acknowledged.

"Terry."

A movement at the door caught Rick's eye and he turned to see Michonne standing in the doorway with her arms folded.

"Michonne?"

She looked over at Rick with angry, but slightly fractured eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, come in."

Rick took his time going into the house; waiting until Terry drove away. When he got inside, he waited until she spoke.

"He was here to deliver a message from Mike. He wants to see me."

Rick was unsure of the hold her ex-boyfriend may still have on her, and the thought was a little unsettling to him. She looked at Rick as if wanting him to tell her what to do.

"I think you should go ahead and see him, find out what he wants."

She sighed and turned away.

"He'll keep contacting you until you deal with this."

He walked up to her and gently touched her shoulder.

"Shortly after Judith was born, my wife started seeing another man, someone I knew."

Michonne turned to search his eyes, but he had his head lowered.

"I saw them together, and I wanted to kill him. It hurt me so bad I couldn't see how to get over it. Then I realized he wasn't the only one at fault. All three of us were. I should have been more sensitive how my wife was feeling in our marriage, she should have talked to me about her feelings, and that man shouldn't have started an affair with another man's wife, but it didn't work out that way. Things we should or shouldn't have done don't matter after the fact."

He finally looked up into her eyes.

"I had to forgive them and myself. You'll need to do the same."

She inhaled and rolled her eyes.

"You loved him once and he hurt you."

"He killed my son Rick!"

"If he had done that on purpose, he would be in prison Michonne."

She stood in front of him with her arms folded.

"It was an accident. Yes, he caused it, but if he loved your son, don't you think it plagues him as much as it does you? Maybe even more for him."

She glared at him, but she knew what he was saying was only for her good.

He stepped up closer to her and rubbed on her bare upper arms.

"I don't want this standing in between you and me. Settle it so you can move on. Remember," He said lifting her chin. "…you're not doing this for him, it's for you."

She smiled at him sadly as a tear fell from her eye. She leaned forward and rested her head on his chest. He felt her head nod on his chest, and he kissed the top of her head.


	3. Chapter 3

Bright and early Monday morning, Michonne met with Rick and Katie for their usual briefing. Over the weekend, a suspect had been arrested and charged with a triple homicide. Even though cool and collected, Rick could see Michonne was a little on edge, and knew it had nothing to do with the new case. The meeting lasted an hour and when it was over, she asked Rick to stay a moment. Before Katie could leave, Michonne walked over to the sofa in her office.

"I'll be down in a minute." Rick said to Katie.

Rick walked over to where Michonne stood.

"You okay?" He asked.

"No. I'm having second thoughts about seeing Mike again."

Rick's insides tightened, sensing her anxiety.

"What's on your mind?"

"At the dinner party, Terry said he hadn't been in contact with Mike, but when he came to my house, he said Mike called him out of the blue, and wanted Terry to ask me to meet with him."

"Why didn't Mike call you himself?"

"Probably because of the way we parted. I told him never to contact me again, I changed all my numbers and moved."

"He could have found you easily, if he really wanted to."

"He knows I wouldn't have talked to him."

"So, what do you want to do?"

She swallowed hard and searched his eyes for strength.

"Like you suggested, meet with him and get this over with."

"What do you need from me?" He asked sincerely.

She smiled sadly and reached out and touched his face. This beautiful man really was for her, and her smile changed to one of joy and full of love.

"Just you."

He smiled and took her hand from his face and kissed it.

"Let me see your phone."

She walked over to her desk and picked up her phone, unlocked it and handed it to him. He quickly went into the settings and enabled a feature to be able to locate her phone.

"Just in case things go south, we'll be able to come to you as long as you have your phone with you."

She trusted him with her life, but her nerves started to unravel.

"Do you think things will go south?"

"I'm not taking any chances Michonne. If I knew Mike or Terry personally, this would be easy."

His heart went out to her as he watched her pace the floor, wringing her hands.

"Hey." He said softly.

She looked up and walked over to him. The tingling in her hands and feet was getting worse.

"You can do this. I'll go with you if you want."

"No Rick, I'll be fine. You're right, I can do this."

"I believe you can, but I'm not so sure you do."

"I'll be fine." She said, knowing he still wasn't convinced.

She closed her eyes and wanted to simply collapse into his strength, but she couldn't.

"Alright Michonne. I know some things are hard to say, and if it's just nerves that have you in a knot, I'm okay with that, but the minute you feel your life is in danger, text me 911 and I'll come."

She nodded and inhaled, feeling somewhat reassured.

"Rick, after this we should have a talk."

He eyed her carefully and she could see she had confused him.

"Should I be worried?"

"No. Thank you for being here for me."

"It's my pleasure." He said frowning.

He stepped in closer and kissed her gently on the lips.

"A little inappropriate for the workplace don't you think?" She asked smiling.

"Fire me or get used to it." He said giving her another peck before stepping back. "I'll see you at five."

Michonne spent the early morning and some of her lunch break cleaning up files and getting ready for her new case. Rick had been out in the field most of the day, but he called asking if she would like to have dinner at his house with him and the kids. His call was more than welcomed, and she took a few moments to daydream. At around one, her phone rang, it was Terry.

"Hi Terry." She said turning on the speakerphone.

"Hey Michonne, Mike's been trying to reach you. He just landed in Atlanta and wants to know if you're okay with meeting him this afternoon instead of next week."

"Terry." She said in frustration.

"I'm just as surprised as you are. He said something about a new project opportunity in Atlanta that he wants to get the jump on. He was on his way to the location when he called me."

Michonne felt in her gut she should question him more, but she knew Mike trusted Terry and when they were together, she trusted Mike.

"I can swing by and pick you up."

She looked at her watch thinking she should be done talking to Mike within an hour.

"Okay Terry. I'll meet you out front."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

She tried to call Rick, but his phone went right to voicemail. There was no reason to leave a message, because she would probably be back before he had a chance to listen to it.

Terry picked her up and drove a few miles outside of the city. It was only a ten-minute ride, but it seemed longer as Terry went on about his surprise when Mike called him, but she wasn't interested and only half listened. She started to feel anxious and wished she had left a message for Rick.

"What is this place?" She said, glancing out the car window at the abandoned building.

"All I know is that Mike said the place was a future investment he couldn't pass up."

Terry turned off the car and got out.

"Let's go inside and find him."

Michonne got out of the car and followed Terry inside. Something about this situation seemed off. She quickly took her phone out and texted Rick, '911'. With her nerves fully on edge, she wished she had taken Rick up on his offer to come with her. The warehouse door was unlocked and Terry began calling out for Mike. When Terry called out, her concern lighted some recalling Mike's business did involve procuring properties, so this empty warehouse wasn't out of the ordinary.

They heard someone answer from a room at the back.

"He must be in there." Terry said heading to the back room.

"Mike, man…" Terry said calling out.

When Terry opened the door, a man Michonne didn't recognize was standing in the room. She froze in place at the door.

"Finally." The man in the room said."

Terry grabbed Michonne a little forcefully and pulled her all the way into the room.

"Where's Mike?" She asked alarmed.

"Mike's dead Michonne." Terry said sternly.

Her jaw dropped and was finding it hard to find her voice. The shock she felt wasn't so much that Mike was dead, but that Terry pretended Mike was there to meet with her.

"What?" She asked with a mixture of alarm and anger.

"He has been for a month. He drank himself to death because of you."

Terry scoffed, and the look in his eyes told her he was unstable.

"What do you want from me?"

"It's simple. I want you to suffer like Mike did. I want you to be broken and ruined because of someone else."

"Terry." She said calmly trying to reason with him.

"You killed him!" He said, raising his voice.

"No, Terry. Mike did that."

"Shut up!"

She jumped from the order and tried hard not to panic.

"You blamed him for killing his son and he never got over that."

"I haven't gotten over that!" Michonne said, nearly losing control.

Terry slapped her across her face and she fell to the floor.

"I told you to shut up. You've always thought you were better than him. Big shot lawyer."

She sat up and could taste the blood from her cut lip. In her mind, something didn't add up. Why was he so affected by Mike's death? Finally, she looked up into Terry's tear stained face, and she understood.

"You were in love with Mike?" She said, standing.

Finally, she understood Terry's fondness for Mike. Scanning through her memories, she and Mike talked about how much attention Terry paid Mike. Michonne and Mike waved it off as Mike being like a big brother to Terry.

Terry walked away and pulled a chair over to where she stood.

"Sit down. Please."

Michonne took a swing at Terry hitting him squarely on the jaw. She tried to run for the door but he grabbed her arm and roughly pulled it behind her causing considerable pain in her shoulder. He forcibly pushed her down in the chair and tied her to it except for one arm.

"Hurry up with that Bob." Terry snapped.

"It's ready."

Bob turned around exposing a syringe in his hand while Terry tied a rubber band to her upper arm.

"Terry no!" She pleaded.

Her heart was pounding in her chest so heard she thought she could hear it, and she started to breath heavily.

"This is heroin Michonne. I'm going to get you hooked on this stuff. Sorry it won't be as juvenile as alcohol, but I don't have time for that."

"Terry, please."

He continued to ignore her.

"Mike wouldn't want you to do this."

"You don't know what Mike wanted! You didn't see him broken and suffering from the guilt you put on him." Terry stated, getting very close to Michonne's face. "I was the one helping him when he was so drunk he couldn't walk. He needed me more than he needed you."

In anger, she kept her mouth shut knowing that nothing she said would matter. He was bent on hurting her, and this point all she could do was cling to the hope of Rick getting her text message.

Terry stood up hastily and wiped his face and then took the syringe from Bob.

"I figure three doses ought to get the job done." Terry said inhaling sharply.

"You won't get away with this." She spoke quietly.

"Why, is Rick coming?"

"Yes." She said defiantly.

"I seriously doubt it. I'm sure you told him about meeting with Mike next week, that's why I changed the day."

Terry scoffed and approached her and deftly injected her with the heroin.

A tear slipped down her face as she lowered her head. She wanted the last thought she had before the drug took effect, was to be that she knew with certainty that Rick would come. He said he would.

Shortly before five, Rick went up to Michonne's office to pick her up.

"Hey Rick."

"Hey Dinah."

"Michonne's not here."

He stopped at Michonne's door and then walked over to Dinah's desk.

"Will she be back soon?"

"I don't know. She left at around one."

Rick's suspicions went from zero to infinity in an instant.

"Did she say anything about where she was going?"

"No. She just said she should be back in an hour."

"An hour was three hours ago." He said under his breath.

He pulled out his cell phone and saw that she had called him twice, back to back, and then the 911 text ten minutes ago.

"If she calls you before you leave, call me."

"Okay Rick. Is anything wrong?"

"I hope not." He said sprinting to the stairs and down the four flights to the first floor. He saw Katie getting ready to leave for the day. When she saw the look on his face, she walked over to him.

"What is it?"

"Michonne is in trouble."

He pulled out his cell phone again and dialed a number.

"Hello Jake. I need a favor. Find Michonne Mitchell's cell phone. I'll be right there."

As Rick and Katie quickly walked down the stairs to get to the communications department located in the basement, Katie noted how Rick's concern for his boss's welfare was a little over the top. His temper was extremely short, and she nearly had to run to keep up with him.

"Rick." She said, stopping him by pulling on his arm. "I'm sure she's okay."

"I hope so Katie, she's overdue by three hours."

His glare was so sharp, she almost winced. This was her partner of two years. She knew this man, but right now his sense of urgency was out of the normal for him.

"What aren't you telling me?" She asked directly.

When he finally looked back into her eyes, they seemed to soften before going back into a stern glare.

"We're - - seeing each other Katie."

He walked away from her and went to talk to Jake. When Jake saw Rick, he stood and went to another desk with two monitors on it.

"Well, her phone is on and we've tracked it to this point."

"Holcomb and 53rd avenue." Rick said out loud.

"Yeah. Just outside of town to the east."

Rick looked at Katie and smiled sadly.

"You lead on this one Katie."

"Okay, let's get in the wind."

When they got in the car, Katie drove. She was uncharacteristically quiet which started to irritate Rick. Usually, not matter the circumstance, she practically talked his ears off.

"I didn't tell you because it just happened."

"I knew it was a matter of time. Does she feel the same about you?"

He glanced over at her and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm just asking. You're not exactly slick, Rick."

He scoffed and ignored her comment regarding his romantic charm.

"How far is it now?"

"We should be there in five minutes."

"Michonne, wake up." Terry said slapping her face to bring her around. "Maybe you gave her too much."

"I gave her just enough." Bob said fidgeting next to Terry.

The two men watched her closely to see the effects of the drug.

The building her cell phone GPS indicated was an abandoned warehouse. Rick and Katie exited the car with their weapons drawn. Rick saw the car Terry drove parked at the side of the building. Katie motioned for Rick to go into the main entrance while she took the side door. The other buildings nearby were also abandoned and quiet. Rick easily heard yelling from somewhere near the back of the building, and signaled to Katie to head in that direction.

As they inched their way forward, Rick heard Terry's voice telling Michonne to wake up, followed by a slap. Rick clenched his jaw and looked sharply at Katie. Katie stood and walked over to the door. Rick followed a couple steps behind. She stood to one side of the door and knocked, and then began speaking in broken English with a heavy Korean accent. Katie was of Korean decent and had impersonated her grandmother's voice on more than one occasion, and to Rick's expectations, works every time.

"Just get the door man." Terry whispered, clearly irritated.

Right when the door was opened a crack, Rick kicked it in and the man flew backwards being hit by the door. If Rick wasn't so stressed out and concerned about Michonne, he would have laughed at the look on the men's faces.

"Hands!" Rick said loudly. "On your knees!"

He took a second to glance at Michonne and saw she was breathing. Katie secured the room while Rick covered Terry and his accomplice. The men were quickly handcuffed, Rick holstered his gun and went right over to Michonne. He frantically looked at her face and took the band from around her arm. He took his knife out to cut her free and she slumped forward onto him.

"Is she okay?" Katie asked.

"Call an ambulance Katie, she's been drugged." Rick's voice broke.

Michonne was so affected by the drug, she couldn't even sit up on her own. Rick's feelings were smeared in every direction, but he had to deal with this according to his training. He had to look at her as a victim in this situation, not as the woman he loved. He helped her up from the chair and had no choice but to sit her on the floor and lean her against the wall.

"Katie." Rick called over to his partner and she quickly went over to sit with Michonne.

Rick walked over to the men who were on their knees. In a rage, Rick grabbed Terry's face and shoved him onto his back.

"What did you give her Terry?"

"Heroin, we gave her heroin." Bob said quickly, startled by Rick's outburst.

Rick's eyes whipped over at Bob who suddenly wished he hadn't answered. Rick walked over to the table with the paraphernalia on it, and pulled from his pocket latex gloves and put them on. He picked up the syringe and loaded it with what was in the foil they used to heat up the drug. He slowly walked over to Terry and grabbed his arm. The look on Rick's face was calm and relaxed, but Terry was in a full panic. His eyes were wide and his breathing was close to hyperventilation. He tried to get to his feet, but Rick lifted his booted foot and pushed Terry back down to the floor.

"You can't do this Rick!"

"Why not? All this is yours, isn't it? Why wouldn't you be using? Don't worry Terry, I know how to give an injection, and I know all the secret places to stick this that only forensic scientists know about. I could kill you with this stuff, and it would probably be viewed as an overdose on your part. They'll assume you injected yourself."

The look on Rick's face and the tone of his voice absolutely terrified Terry.

"There're witnesses here!" Terry squeaked out.

"Katie? She's my partner Terry, she's on my side, and I'm not worried about this guy here. Who would believe him? The two of you brought her here to do what? Kill her? Turn her into a junkie? For what?!" Rick yelled. His eyes were wild and his hand shook.

"Rick." Michonne's voice was barely audible, but managed to get his attention.

He turned just as Katie stood to watch the men. He exhaled a hard breath and put the syringe back on the table and went to Michonne, but she was out again.

"It never ceases to amaze me how much braver the victims are than the perpetrators." Katie said looking down at the two men.

"Tell me Terry, why you would do this?" Rick asked.

"Because Mike is dead because of her." Terry said weeping.

"Mike is dead?" Rick said stunned, looking at Bob.

"Yeah, last month. Terry's my cousin man. He thought that once Michonne was out of Mike's life, he would have a shot."

"A shot?" Rick asked curiously.

"A shot with Mike. Terry wanted to be with Mike."


	4. Chapter 4

The doctors tried to get Rick to leave the room while they examined Michonne, but one look from him and they didn't ask again. Feeling numb, he stood in the hospital room as insignificant as a fly on the wall. Praying was not something he did often, but he made an exception, for her. He couldn't even see her for all the medical staff crowded around her. Gratefully, she was unconscious, he really wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Bob had cooperated with the police, and advised them of the dose he gave her which made her treatment easier. Rick had wanted to kill them for committing such a heinous crime intentionally, which was inexcusable, as far as he was concerned, but they would get what they deserved.

After what seemed like hours, the doctor finally approached Rick.

"Detective, I'm Dr. Miller."

"Rick Grimes." Rick said, pulling his eyes from Michonne to the doctor.

"She's out of danger, but I can't know when she'll be waking up. She was given a relatively small dose, anything more than that probably would have killed her. Have you arrested the person who did this?"

"Yes." Rick said blandly.

The doctor noted the depth of concern from the man he was speaking to, and started to leave them alone.

"Dr. Miller, she means a lot to me, and I'd appreciate it if I could stay with her. She has no other family."

"I believe she would want that as well. She was whispering your name before she went completely unconscious."

After the doctor left, Rick slowly and quietly moved a chair by her bed and sat down. He reluctantly took her hand in his, and he was satisfied just looking at her face. For the first time in his life he felt helpless. She was precious to him and he didn't want to lose her to this. He wiped tears from his face as exhaustion started to take him. He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and gave in to a fitful few moment's sleep. Michonne moved slightly and he opened his eyes to see her sitting bolt upright about to vomit. He quickly stood and grabbed the bedpan and held it up to her mouth as she vomited into it. Pulling her locks back, he reached over and pressed the buzzer to call the nurse.

"I-I closed my eyes for a second and she just sat up." He explained to the nurse who ran into the room.

"This was expected Mr. Grimes."

"Please, call me Rick." He said, wanting to say something, anything that even remotely sounded less helpless.

While she wretched into the bedpan, the nurse took her temperature. When Michonne finished vomiting into the bedpan, she started crying and looked wildly around the room.

"I want to go home." She said, finally looking at Rick.

"Not yet, baby. They're making sure you're okay."

She shook her head and tried to get out of bed on the opposite side from where he stood. The nurse stopped her and Rick quickly went around the bed to her.

"Michonne, no."

"What happened to me!" She cried out through tears.

"Get back in bed and I'll tell you everything, but you have to calm down or they'll strap you to this bed."

She looked in eyes, and through her drug-induced haze could see him. She quietly got back into bed and awkwardly wiped the tears from her eyes. He sat down on the bed beside her and wiped away her remaining tears.

"What's the last thing you remember?'

She held her head down and focused on her lap.

"Everything." She whispered and started to weep. "How could I be so stupid?"

He put his arms around her and she cried into his shoulder.

"You weren't stupid. You trusted someone who was trusted by someone you loved."

She looked at him with eyes full of so much hurt and sadness it made his heart ache.

The doctor entered the room and Rick looked over at him.

"The doctor's here."

She leaned back on the pillow and Rick handed her a tissue. Rick got up and stood back from the bed while to doctor examined her.

"Hi Michonne. How do you feel?"

"Disoriented and disconnected."

"That's pretty much how you should feel. It'll pass within the next few days."

"When can I go home?" She asked.

She was frightened, and it was heard in her voice.

"Tomorrow or as long as it takes for the diacetylmorphine to leave your system."

"How long will that take?" Rick asked.

"Dr. Adams, this is my boyfriend Rick Grimes."

"Mr. Grimes, Michonne was given a small dose, so we think it will be out of her system by tomorrow. I know you want to go home, and we'll try to get you out of here as early as we can."

"Okay." Michonne said looking at Rick.

The doctor turned to leave the room and Rick walked across the room to follow him out.

"I'll be right back." Rick said to Michonne. "Dr. Adams." He called after him.

"Yes."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes. She'll be fine. The nurse said she vomited and that should be the worst of it, but she might be a little disoriented for a while yet."

"Is there a chance of her developing an addiction or experiencing any withdrawal symptoms?"

"No, not with just one dose, and a small one at that."

Rick sighed in relief.

"Mr. Grimes, keep her close and watch her. Reassurance will help get her through this. Will you be staying with her?"

"Yes." Rick said, knowing there was no way he was going to leave her.

"Good. She shouldn't be alone right now. The main thing, especially with someone like Michonne, is her mental state. She was violated with a dangerous drug against her will. She's going to need some time getting used to that."

"Thank you, Dr. Adams."

Rick entered the room and saw how defeated she looked. He smiled at her sadly and walked over to the bed.

"Rick, I was thinking that you should go home tonight; sleep in your bed. I'll be alright." Michonne said sitting up and wiping her eyes.

She wouldn't look at him when she spoke; afraid he would see the shame she felt.

"I'm not going anywhere Michonne."

"You don't have to stay here with me." She insisted.

"I know that, but I want to." He said quietly.

She gathered up what little bravado she had left and looked at him.

"Go home Rick, I want to be alone." She said, sternly looking him in the eyes.

He studied her eyes and her voice and demeanor he had only heard her use in the courtroom. He knew it was an act, and was reluctant to give in, but she probably could use some time to herself right now. As strong as he was, she could talk him into anything, and he would let her, no matter how he felt about it. He closed his eyes and looked down at the floor.

"Okay Michonne, whatever you want." He said looking back up with tears in his eyes.

He walked over to kiss her cheek. Their eyes met, and although the movement was small, it meant everything to him when she gently touched his forearm, and looked into his eyes with a warm smile.

"I'll be back tonight."

"Rick."

"Give me an inch Michonne, please." He said, getting a little frustrated with her insistence.

"Okay." She said, realizing he was giving much more than he was getting.

He sat back down on the bed and rubbed her arm gently.

"This didn't just happen to you." He said, looking down at his hand on her arm. He looked up briefly at the ceiling and then at the IV stand next to her bed. "You mean more to me than I think you realize. I want you safe and well taken care of. Will you let me take care of you?"

She looked at him for a long time before speaking.

"Yes."

Rick drove over to his father-in-law's sports bar after leaving the hospital. The place was packed and he was told Buck was in his office. The door was cracked and he knocked and stuck his head inside.

"Rick, come in."

"Hey Buck. How are you?"

"Doing good. How's Michonne?"

Rick was surprised Buck would ask.

"I heard about what happened, and Joanne told me you needed the kids to stay with us a while longer."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't apologize for that. They're our grandkids and we're happy to be able to spend the time with them."

Rick nodded and briefly looked away.

"The doctor said she'll be okay. I need a favor Buck. I want to get her out of the city so she can get back to herself."

Buck opened a desk drawer and produced a set of keys and handed them to Rick.

"The pantry is full, and there're steaks in the freezer."

"Thanks Buck."

"Take good care of her Rick."

"I will."

"Rick, I've always liked you, even when you were a kid."

Rick shifted on his feet and squinted at Buck.

"I know, I know you don't like to hear this kind of talk, but I'm long overdue telling you this. I know my daughter was difficult, but you stayed in it and took care of her. I'll always appreciate that. You're like a son to me Rick, and I'm overjoyed you found someone who makes you happy."

"Thanks Buck."

Buck nodded and cleared his throat.

"Bring some fish back if you get out on the lake." Buck said, shaking Rick's hand.

"Will do Buck. Thanks again."

His next stop was home for a shower and to pack a bag. He spent a few hours with the kids before Judith's bedtime. While he read a story to her, his mind wandered and he knew he needed to treat what happened to Michonne like the crime that it was, but the harder he tried, the angrier he got about it. She was going to be fine, he kept telling himself, but he needed to be reassured as much as she did.

It was close to the end of visiting hours when he made it back to the hospital. Michonne was sleeping when he walked into her room. He went to her bedside and kissed her forehead, and she stirred.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. You came back anyway." She said with her voice thick with sleep, but clearer.

"You thought I wouldn't?"

She opened her eyes and smiled at him sadly.

"You found me yesterday." Her lips trembled as she fought back tears. "I knew you would. Just as I knew that no matter what I said, you'd be back."

"You would do the same for me."

"I would." Her voice fading some. "If the world was in chaos, and everything as we knew it was over, I would find you and follow you anywhere."

"Really?"

"Of course, because you know how it goes."

"How what goes?"

"Everything. The world, people, me."

He smiled at her through squinted eyes.

"I don't think I understand that."

"It doesn't matter. Just know that I'm with you. I know who you are Rick Grimes, and I love you."

She slowly drifted off to sleep and he stood and kissed her again.

"Tell me all this again when you wake up."

"I will. I know who you are Rick Grimes, and I…love…you." She repeated drowsily.

He was surprised she was still awake, but she was fading fast. He took another look at her face before leaning back in the recliner and closing his eyes. What she said to him brought tears to his eyes. He had given up on finding love again, and she was more than he could ever dream of.

The nurse was in and out of the room throughout the night, and around three in the morning, Michonne woke up and smiled watching Rick sleep. She knew he was worried about her, and it showed on his face without marring his handsome looks. She gently got out of bed and took one of the blankets off the bed and covered him. He stirred and opened his eyes.

"What are you doing up?" He said yawning.

"That bed was making me crazy. Go back to sleep."

"Not a chance. I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"Okay." She said climbing back into the bed.

He stood up, stretched, and placed the blanket back onto her bed.

"How do you feel?"

"My head is clearing."

"Good. Maybe they'll let you leave today."

"I sure hope so."

"Michonne, if it's alright with you, I'd like to take you away for a few days."

"Where?"

"To the mountains. Buck has a cabin up there."

"I'm not much of a camper."

"Not that you know of." He said taking her hand. "But camping wasn't what I had in mind. I plan on you getting some fresh air, resting on your own terms, and maybe fishing."

"Fishing?"

"Yeah, heard of it?"

She smiled at him sweetly and thought about his plan.

"Let's do it." She said smiling and kissing his hand.

Around ten a.m., Rick stood nervously by while the doctor examined Michonne before deciding to release her. She was given a somewhat reluctant release by the doctor with her promising to get as much rest as possible. Rick was instructed to bring her back in if she developed a fever or suddenly became drowsy or lost consciousness. He took her home to change and pack a bag, and she grabbed all the fresh fruits and vegetables she just bought before her ordeal.

She was excited to be going away with Rick. Even though she was supposed to be convalescing, she felt stronger with a clearer mind, and thought fishing would be good for her, and time alone with Rick would be good for them.

The drive was uneventful and pleasant with a brief dispute over listening to Rock-A-Billy or Rhythm and Blues. Percy Sledge decided for them with the unmistakable opening to the tune, _When a Man Loves a Woman._ Rick let go of the dial, and let the words of the song wash over him. The song translated to him fully how he felt about Michonne. He pulled the car over and parked. Michonne looked at him curiously, but she could see in his eyes that what he was feeling was huge.

"Get out of the car." Michonne said quietly, turning up the volume of the radio.

When he got out, he started to walk around to her side of the car. She stopped him in front of the car, and stood close to him.

"Dance with me?" She said, putting her arms around his neck.

He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. They began to sway gently together to the music. The strong man in her arms was vulnerable in a way that touched her completely; washing any doubt or fear she had regarding living her life with him.

Cars on the road honked as they passed them. When the song was over, Rick slowly released her, kissing her shoulder, neck and finally her lips.

"Thank you." He said with one last quick peck to her lips.

He walked her to the passenger side of the car, and closed the door after she got in. They sat quietly for a while, each thinking about the incredible moment they just shared. He started the engine and pulled back onto the road. Not expectantly, Rick reached over and placed his hand on her thigh, sending those butterflies in her stomach swirling around her insides. She put her hand on his, feeling his warmth and strength that she knew would always be at her disposal. The secret smile that graced her lips threatened to give away the fact that she was solely devoted to him.

During the four-hour drive up into the mountains, Michonne slept a great deal of the way, but was coherent and lucid. Rick divided his time between watching the road and watching her. He didn't fool himself regarding the scare he got from her experience, and how afraid he had been, and still was, because it wasn't over. There would be a trial and she would have to go over every detail of what she went through. His goal during this time was to get her strong again. Fearless.

"You want me to drive for a while?" She said, putting the seat back in an upright position.

"I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I enjoy driving."

She leaned forward and looked out at the scenery.

"This is incredible. Have you been up here often?"

"More when Lori and I were dating than I did after we were married."

"Why is that?"

"One thing then another. I was going to school and working. Even the weekends seemed to be hectic. The truth of it is, I don't think Lori liked it up here much."

Michonne thought about that for a while. It seems Lori didn't like much of anything, which to Michonne seemed to also include Rick. She made a promise to herself that she wouldn't ask any more questions about Lori.

They talked more about other things and Rick was impressed that Michonne was awake when they pulled up to the cabin. It was about ten p.m. and when she stepped out of the car, the view from in front of the cabin took her breath away. Moonlight shone down on the water making it sparkle with light. Rick got out of the car and watched Michonne gazing at the view.

"Rick." She said almost in a whisper. "This is…I don't have words for it."

He walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her.

"I'm sure you'll come up with a few before we leave."

She leaned her head back on his shoulder and took it all in.

"Thank you for this Rick."

"This is nothing compared to what you'll see at sunrise. Let's go inside, it's getting cold out."

He took her hand and they walked up the cabin steps together. He unlocked the security door and turned off the alarm. She almost gasped when he turned the lights on. She hadn't expected the cabin to be so modern looking.

"This isn't what I expected at all."

"Buck isn't the roughing it type. He said he had enough of that when he was growing up."

He took her upstairs and gave her a choice of one of the three bedrooms.

"Where will you be sleeping?" She asked awkwardly.

"In one of the remaining two rooms."

She gave Rick a long look and knew she would be probably sleeping alone, so she picked the small room with the mountain view at the side of the house. Rick shook his head as she went into her room. He had a feeling these sleeping arrangements won't last the weekend.

He went out to the car and brought in their bags and the food.

"Are you hungry?"

"I sure hope you can you cook." She asked smiling. "Because according to you, I can't."

"Let's scramble some eggs, together." He said, pulling her into the kitchen by her belt.

After watching how he scrambled eggs the way she liked them, she successfully scrambled eggs for him. They sat down and ate their eggs and talked about Carl, Judith and Rick's hopes for them. Michonne was impressed at how well he knew his children. Even though his in-laws helped with the children, she felt that he would be able to care for them without Buck and Joanne's help.

When she yawned, he got up and picked up their empty plates and took them into the kitchen.

"You look tired. Come on." He said motioning to her.

She wearily got up from the table and followed him up the stairs. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently and held her for a few moments.

"Sleep well." He said, slowly releasing her.

"You too."

He went back down the stairs to clean the kitchen and secure the house. He finally climbed back up the stairs, and before going to his own room, went to check on Michonne. He stood at the door and looked at her lying there on her stomach with her arms spread wide. Her back slowly rose and fell with her quiet breathing. She looked totally peaceful, and he hoped she was having sweet dreams. Yawning, he went to his bedroom at the front of the house. He stood there for a time looking at the view of the lake. He was surprised Michonne passed on it. The windows in this bedroom were wall to wall. He couldn't wait to close his eyes and slip in between the cool sheets. Removing his clothes with his eyes closed, he thought he would fall asleep standing before he could lay down. He lay down on the bed, stretched out on his back and as he closed his eyes, wished Michonne was there with him.

Waking up around three, he got out of bed and got dressed. He walked down the hall to check on Michonne. She hadn't moved and was sleeping soundly, sprawled out across the bed. He went down stairs and started checking on the fishing equipment. Buck kept the rods and tackle in a small room in the back of the house. From what he remembered, the boat was stored in the woodshed. He went out back and took the boat down and walked it down to the lake shore. When he got back to the cabin, Michonne was standing, frozen in place, at the bottom of the stairs. The look on her face concerned him. She was frightened. When she saw him, she walked over to him and put her arms around him.

"What's wrong?"

"I woke up and when I didn't see you, I didn't know if this was real." She said starting to cry.

"It's okay." He said, holding her tightly. "I just went out to put the boat in the water. We're having fish for breakfast."

"I'll go get dressed." She said abruptly, pulling herself out of his arms.

Rick stood there clenching his jaw, hating the pain she was going through. Hopefully, he thought, fishing might help.

She stood on the dock looking down at the small boat.

"I'm not a very strong swimmer." She said firmly.

"Then you better stay in the boat." Rick smirked, and handed her a life vest.

Defiantly, she put the vest on and ignored his outstretched hand as she climbed into the bobbing craft by herself. He purposely climbed roughly in behind her making the boat rock even more vigorously from side to side. He side-glanced at her and smiled in amusement at her gripping the sides of the boat.

Once out in the middle of the lake, he pulled out from a tackle box, pieces of bait Buck kept in the freezer.

"Can you bait a hook?"

"City girl here." She said, raising one hand.

He clicked his tongue and gave her a disapproving look.

"You take a fishing hook in your left hand, and a piece of bait in your right hand…"

"Really?" She said, cutting him off.

Clearly, she was uncomfortable in the small boat, but she managed a smile and shook her head. He showed her how to cast her line and before he could pick up his own rod, she got a bite.

"Rick!" She said, nearly jumping out of the boat.

He helped her reel in her catch and to their surprise, the fish on her line was big enough to feed them both. Feeling extremely proud and cocky, she started baiting her own hook and was an expert at casting very quickly. He sat back and watched her enjoy this time. The smile on her face was all he needed to give him some satisfaction out of the recent trauma she had been through.

After about three hours, she had caught eight nice sized fish. She stopped and looked over at her haul and at Rick's smiling face as he unhooked her last catch.

"What are we going to do with all this fish?"

"Clean and freeze them. Buck asked us to bring him some fish back."

"This was fun." She said smiling.

Her exhilaration was contagious and comforting to him.

"Ready to go in?"

"Yeah." She said reluctantly.

He noticed her mood darkened slightly as she looked down into the water.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little tired."

He rowed them back to shore, and she helped him unload the fish and tackle. He pulled the boat along the dock to the shore and out of the lake.

"I'll come back for that stuff." He said.

"I got it." She said, picking up everything and walking toward the cabin.

Rick rinsed off the equipment and put it back where Buck had it stored. Michonne was quiet now and responded to Rick with one word answers. They stood together at the kitchen sink washing their hands. She dried her hands and walked over to the front window and stared out at the lake. He watched her while he cleaned the fish, and knew there was something she was feeling she wouldn't talk about. There was a tenseness in her body that made him think of suppressed rage. Rick joined her at the window and gently touched her shoulder. He was always sensitive to her moods, and didn't want to push her.

"Talk to me." He said, turning her toward him.

"What?"

"You had a good day and now you've got something on your mind that's beating you down."

"So?"

"So, is this how you're going to be from now on?"

"What do you mean?" She asked turning away from him.

He was starting to get frustrated and decided he would push her.

"Since you insist on answering my questions with questions, I'll give you a statement. Get your head out of your rear end and find your courage Michonne."

He turned from her and walked back toward the kitchen.

"Do you have any idea what I've just gone through?" She asked, still standing at the window.

He walked back over to her so fast she took a step back.

"Without being injected with heroin myself, I've suffered every inch with you. I've watched light fade from your eyes which nearly tore my heart out. I've cried and prayed, afraid the doctor would tell me you would have to withdraw from what was injected into your veins, but thank God you don't have to go through that." He stopped and swallowed hard to cover the emotion in his voice. "Even if you did, I would be right there with you. What is it going to take for you to realize how blessed you've been and fight? It could have been a whole lot worse."

She tried to turn away, but he stopped her.

"I don't have any fight left." She said quietly.

"I haven't seen any fight in you at all yet. This is not something you can afford to feel sorry for yourself about." He had raised his voice and then intentionally lowered it. "I believe that's how people get addicted to heroin. They give up and think that's their only option because of something they can't get over. Is that what you'd rather do, give up?"

Her eyes flashed angrily at him.

"There it is." Rick said goading her. "Who are you angry at Michonne? Me, Mike or Terry?"

She looked bewildered as she searched his eyes.

"If it's Mike, you need to let that go because he's dead. Terry was the one who abused you. Do you want to hit him? He's in jail at the moment, so hit me!" He yelled, as a tear spilled out of his eye.

Instead of standing there waiting, Rick gave her shoulder a firm but benign shove. She backed up a step and he pushed her again.

"Go ahead and hit me Michonne!" He yelled again, moving in closer to her.

"No." She lifted her chin, trying to stand her ground.

"Yes. I want you to because we're not going to live like this."

He shoved her again, but this time she stumbled back and fell to the floor.

"Get up and show me that you're still in there."

He stood a few feet from her and glared down at her. This was not what he wanted, but he decided that if this was what she needed, he would gladly do it.

She practically snarled at him as she stood up. Her breathing was rapid and she wanted to hit him.

"I'm not going to stop, just like Terry wasn't going to stop shooting you up with that poison."

He grabbed her shirt and roughly pulled her to him.

"You better hit me before I make you hit me."

Her eyes widened and she hit him square in the jaw, nearly knocking him to the floor. She landed punches he didn't really feel because he was with her in this too.

The rage she felt weighed heavy on her and it blinded her. In front of her was Terry; the man who had ruined the person she had worked hard to become. The hot tears spilling from her eyes fueled her rage and she struck at him again and again. She struck at the smile on his face as he held her still; the one who lied in her face about everything. The amount of anger she felt was frightening to her; some of it was because of what Mike did, and she knew Rick was right, she needed to let that go, Mike was dead. Terry was incarcerated and would stand trial for what he did.

Finally, she stopped and bent over still sobbing, exhausted and out of breath. Rick walked quietly away from her and went to stop the blood that dripped from his face and down onto his t-shirt. He dabbed at his nose and lip to stop the bleeding. He reached over with his foot and slammed the bathroom door shut just as he started to weep. He sat down on the lid of the toilet seat and cried with the towel to his mouth to muffle the sound. It had been hard for him to understand exactly what she was feeling inside, but now he had seen it in her rage.

Michonne's hands shook as her anger subsided. The last thing she heard was the bathroom door slamming shut. She looked at the closed door and knew why it was closed. She nervously walked to the door and tried to knock and call out for him, but she couldn't. Walking away twice, and back twice, she knew that if the roles were reversed, he would insist on seeing her even if she didn't want him to.

"Rick." She said quietly, closing her eyes hoping he would answer.

She heard him clear his throat before he spoke.

"Yeah."

She could hear the emotion in his voice.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

When she opened the door, he was leaning over the sink with the water running. He was dousing his face with the water, but she could see aside from the water, the tears pouring from his eyes. He had taken his shirt off and she noticed a couple of scratches on his arm, neck, and one over an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry." She blurted out, shocked at what she had done.

"It's not your fault Michonne." He said, trying to concentrate on stopping the blood.

She started to cry while she looked at what she had done to him. He finally put the towel down and walked over to her. Slipping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him.

"You hit like a girl." He whispered in her ear.

She let out a tearful laugh which quickly turned into sobs again because she could hear in his voice he was crying, and she tightened her hold on him.

"Shh-shh." He said calmly. "It's okay now. That was what you needed."

They stood there together until she calmed down.

"Why don't you go for a walk or something while I cook the fish."

She lifted her head and frowned. She started to speak, but he shook his head and put a finger to her lips.

"Let's move on from here."

"Okay." She said quietly.

Michonne took Rick's advice and went for a walk. She felt some relief from releasing her frustrations, but at what cost. What did he think of her now. Would he still look at her with love in his eyes? Hitting him the way she did was the last thing she thought she would do, but thinking back, he was right; it was something she needed to do. She was fighting Terry, but it was Rick who stood in his place; took the blame for what Terry did, and allowed her to strike out at him.

Rick was glad she had taken his advice and went for a walk. He needed time to pull himself together. He was emotionally spent, but he would do it all over again if it was something she needed to do.

Suddenly she felt drained of energy, her body was tired, and her emotions were scattered. She dragged herself up the steps to the cabin, and the smell of fish frying managed to bring a smile to her face. She stepped inside and walked to the kitchen counter and watched him move comfortably around the kitchen. The cuts and bruises on his face were beginning to show, and she walked over to the freezer and pulled out the ice bin."

"The fish smells good."

"How was your walk?"

"Enlightening." She said, filling a towel with ice. "You really do love me, don't you Rick."

She closed her eyes and held up a hand before he could speak.

"That wasn't meant as a question for you, because I know the answer. It was more of a confirmation for me. What I should have said was, 'Rick really does love me.'"

He looked at her and smiled with eyes full of love.

"Grab a couple plates." He said finally.

They sat together and chatted quietly over their fish dinner. The conversation was light and sweet in a way that made them both blush. She loved the way he looked at her during the quiet moments, and it humbled him that she looked at him as if he was the most precious thing on earth, and that she was the first to discover him.

After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen together and enjoyed the sweet silence between them. When they finished, he walked her over to the couch and they stretched out together and watched the setting sun.

"This is nice." She said as they watched the view over the lake.

"It is." He said, nuzzling her neck.

"Do you think we'll always be this way?"

"Seriously, I don't."

"Why not?" She asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"Have you met us? The attorney and the cop us?"

"I forgot about them." She said thoughtfully. "But this is what I want for us."

"Then we'll have to work at it. Being alone like this will have to be a priority."

"We can do it." She said starting to yawn.

"You're my hero, you know that?"

"Why, because of how I am in the courtroom?"

He shook his head and smiled at her sadly.

"No, because of how you are with me."

He kissed her forehead and they settled down and allowed sleep to take them.

Michonne woke up a brief time later, and for an instant forgot where she was. She was still on the couch, but Rick had gotten up. She sat up and looked around the quiet room and felt quite alone. Now that she was with him, she no longer wanted to be alone. She got up and saw him sitting on the front steps. The view was tremendous and she stepped out onto the porch and sat down beside him.

"I didn't want to wake you." He said, looking up at her. "Are you okay?" He asked, still looking at her face.

"I am." She said sitting down beside him.

Her mood had changed a bit and he noticed.

"When I woke up I was confused as to where I was, just for a moment. I started to feel the way I did before I met you; like something was missing. When I saw you sitting out here, I realized what was missing was you."

He reached out and touched her cheek with his hand.

"I don't want to wake up another day without you Rick." She smiled sadly with tears in her eyes. Will you marry me?"

His eyes widened and he nervously smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"I know who you are Rick Grimes, and I love you."

He smiled at her with so much pride he thought his chest would explode.

"You remembered to tell me that."

"I did, because it's the truth. I meant it then and I mean it now, with all my heart."

"I love you, and yes Michonne, I will marry you."

He leaned toward her and gently kissed her.

"Congratulations." She said, kissing him back.

"Thank you." He said laughing. "Congratulations to you."

He made a face remembering something he had forgotten. He reached into the pocket of his jeans, and she sat confused wondering what he could be doing. She finally smiled watching the look on his face as he pulled out a small pouch. A tear slid down her cheek as he reached into the pouch and pulled out a pear-shaped diamond ring. Her jaw dropped and he removed the ring and placed it on her finger.

"Rick, it's beautiful. When did you…?"

"It belonged to my grandmother."

Her face changed slightly as she admired the ring. Rick noted the change and understood it.

"It would have been a little insensitive of me to give you a ring that might have been offered to someone else."

She looked up and smiled sadly.

"Lori had a ring picked out before I even asked her to marry me. I never told her about this ring. Looking back, this ring was always meant for you. My grandmother left the ring to me in her will; it came with a note. I put it in a safe deposit box and forgot about it until I knew I was going to ask you to marry me. My grandmother's note told me to only give this ring to the love of my life, and that's you."

She smiled at him and the tears in her eyes and on her cheeks glistened in the moonlight.

"I love you Michonne."

"I love you." She said, pulling his head down to hers to kiss him.

She broke the kiss and lowered her head. He lifted her chin to search her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Do you think Carl will be okay with the change in our relationship?"

Rick smiled and looked out at the lake.

"Carl felt it before we did I think. He won't be surprised."

"He's a good kid."

"Yes, he is; much to Lori's credit."

"What about the rest of your family?"

Rick scowled, closed his eyes and shook his head.

"There's only Ed left, my dad's brother and his wife and daughter. I haven't seen him for years."

"Why is that?"

Rick scoffed and took her hand in his.

"Let's just say he's holding on to the hope that the south will rise again."

"Oh, I see. Is that going to be a problem?" She said.

He looked at her and smiled at the tone she usually only used in the courtroom.

"Probably. He still talks to me like I'm Carl's age."

"He should know you're getting married."

"Okay, but why?" Rick said, without hesitation.

"Your uncle and I will have the same last name. He should know, in case we bump into each other. He won't be the first person I've had to deal with who sees the world differently."

"Okay, if that's what you want."

"It is. I think we should have him and his family over for dinner."

"Michonne, Ed is a class A jackass. I've given him respect only because he's my uncle, but I won't stand by and listen to him disrespect you, which he will."

"That's why we should initiate the introductions."

He looked at her, and knew the only person he should be afraid for was his uncle. She was strong, even more so now. Finally, a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"This should be fun. I'll call him when we get back."

"Speaking of which, we're still leaving tomorrow right?"

"You anxious to get back to work?"

"You brought me here to bring me back to who I am."

"I did ask for it. I guess I'm getting spoiled having you all to myself."

"This won't be the last time." She said, smiling brightly.

He looked at her and stood, pulling her up with him.

"Let's go to bed." He said, hugging her. "For the first time." He whispered in her ear.

There was no mistaking what he meant.

"Rick Grimes!" She said, pretending to be startled.

"You wanna wait? We can wait."

"I'm done waiting." She said frankly.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and pointed her toward the door. They held hands and walked together up the stairs, and into the bedroom with the best view in the house.

The soft early morning light on the lake was a view Michonne would not soon forget. She lay on her side looking out at the morning with a smile. The smile on her face was well-earned and warranted, and judging from the limp arm across her waist, Rick was still sleeping; also, well-earned and warranted. She moved slightly and felt his arm tighten around her.

"Good morning." He said softly, kissing her shoulder.

"Mm. Good morning."

He gently tugged on her waist, rolling her onto her back. She looked up into his eyes and moved his curly hair back from his face.

"We have a lot to do when we get home." She said, enjoying how her fingers felt in his hair.

"Such as?"

"I think the first thing we should do is tell Carl we're getting married."

"I agree." He said nodding. "Where should we live?"

"I would suggest we move in here, but our commute would be a bear."

He laughed and turned his head to look at the lake.

"You moving in with us would be easier, and since the house is relatively new to us, you can decorate it however you like."

She was quiet for a few moments, and he could tell she was weighing the options.

"Okay." She said finally. "Besides, your house is more kid friendly than mine."

She noted how relieved he looked and it made her happy. He rolled over onto his back and sat up.

"I know you're the one with the bigger salary, and I'm not sure how I should feel about that. It doesn't bother me, but we do need to talk about it."

"Okay." She said seriously. "First of all, I don't want what we have to ever be about money. I have an idea and if you agree with it, let's do it and never talk about it again."

"Go on." He said inhaling, grateful for a possible solution.

"We open a joint account; all the money goes in there, and we do everything from that one account." She said in a rush of words.

She looked at him carefully not knowing how he would feel about it. He looked out at the lake for a long time. Her salary was nearly double his, and in the world he was raised in, the man was supposed to be the primary breadwinner, but with the money being in one account, maybe he could forget his male ego and concentrate on what was really important to him, her and his family.

"Rick, we trust each other and we both know it's not about the money, that's why this is so awkward to discuss. The money will be ours, not yours, not mine."

"Just like the children are ours." He said finally.

She smiled brightly at him.

"Okay." He said, smiling back. "Let's do it."

She threw a leg over him and sat on his lap.

"Now, how about a proper good morning?" She whispered bringing her face down to his.


	5. Chapter 5

It was difficult to leave the cabin, but they had to get back to the other world. The world where the attorney and the cop existed. Michonne stood by the car looking sadly at the cabin while Rick loaded the car. It had been a place of healing for her initiated by someone who truly loves her.

"You liked it here." Rick stated, standing next to her.

"Yeah, very much, but only because you brought me here. Thank you."

He looked at her and touched her cheek with his hand.

"Anything for you."

She smiled lovingly at him and he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to hers.

"Promise me something." Rick said, helping her into the car.

"What?" She asked, looking at him as he sat in the driver's seat.

"That when we get back to our lives, every day when we come home, we leave the attorney and the cop at the office."

"Okay." She smiled thoughtfully.

"I notice when we talk about work, usually at work, the conversation can get a little heated. I don't want it to be like that in our home. I want calm and peaceful. I want you, me and our kids in our home without the cases and the criminals. The disagreements we have at home, if any, should only be regarding our household, our family."

"Agreed." She said, smiling at him proudly.

It was around ten p.m. when they pulled up at Buck's house. Rick looked over at Michonne and smiled. He leaned over and kissed her briefly and turned to get out of the car. He opened the trunk and pulled out the cooler of fish. Michonne joined him and they walked up to the door. Michonne rang the doorbell and within a few seconds it was opened by Joanne.

"Hey, you're back." She said letting them in.

"Joanne, this is Michonne Mitchell."

"The assistant attorney general?"

"Yes." Michonne said surprised.

"It's really nice to meet you. Buck told me you and Rick have been by the sports bar."

Buck joined her as Rick and Michonne walked in the door.

"Hey you two!" Buck said shaking Rick's hand. "How are you feeling Michonne?"

"Real good Buck, thank you."

"Is that fish in that cooler?"

"It is. Michonne caught them all by herself. Her first-time fishing."

"I'm properly impressed." Buck said smiling. He took the cooler from Rick and placed it on the floor out of the way.

"The kids…" Buck started.

"I-I want to talk to the two of you first." Rick took a quick look at Michonne for support. "If my parents were alive, I would be saying this to them. Michonne and I are engaged to be married."

Buck and Joanne smiled brightly and they each hugged Michonne and Joanne hugged Rick.

"Congratulations!" The husband and wife said.

"Thank you." Michonne said.

"I appreciate you wanting to tell us." Buck said, nearly tearing up.

"You and Joanne are a part of my life, and not just because of the kids."

Rick looked down at the ground and started to shift on his feet.

"It's getting late." Michonne picked up for Rick. "So we're going to go ahead and take the kids home tonight."

"Okay. Carl's still awake."

"Can we go up?" Rick asked.

"Of course."

Rick and Michonne walked up the stairs and opened the door to Carl's room.

"Dad!" Carl said leaping off the bed. "Hi Michonne. Did you guys have a good time?"

"Yes. We have some news for you."

"You're getting married." Carl stated plainly with a faint smile on his face.

"How did you guess?"

Carl shrugged and smiled at Michonne.

"When?"

"We haven't decided yet." Rick stated.

"Are you coming home with us tonight?" Carl asked Michonne.

"Yes."

"Good."

"Get your stuff together, I'll go get your sister."

Rick went into the room where Judith slept and picked up the sleeping child. The four of them walked down the stairs and said goodbye to Buck and Joanne. Carl and Michonne chatted together all the way home. It made Rick happy to have the two of them get along so well.

When they got home, Michonne helped Rick put Judith to bed, and Carl gave Michonne a real tour of the house. Rick smiled watching Carl pointing out mundane things in their home and Michonne paying attention to every detail. Rick finally urged his son to go to bed.

"Are you going to be alright tomorrow on your own?" Rick asked Michonne.

"Yeah. I think I'll go to my house to see what I want to bring here. Are you sure you wanna do this?"

He laughed.

"I'm sure." He said sitting on the bed to take his shoes off. "I'm going to bed now because unlike you, I've got to work in the morning."

Michonne wanted to invite Rick to shower with her, but she knew he was tired and above all, she understood his discipline. It was one of the many things they had in common.

"All of the drawers in that dresser are empty, and whatever you want to do in the house, feel free."

"Okay." She said, unpacking her bag.

He reached over and opened the drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a set of keys. He took three keys off the ring and handed them to Michonne.

"Those are to the house and my car."

Michonne took her keys out of her purse and handed them to him.

"Will you put them on the ring for me?"

He picked up her keys and put the new keys on the ring. He changed into his pajama bottoms and sat back down on the bed.

"APD has called the FBI to assist on a case. They need Katie and me as interpreters because apparently, the FBI doesn't quite speak law enforcement."

"Rick, be nice tomorrow."

"I will. I have to be on my best behavior now that me and you are going to be related."

"Don't worry about that. I stand with you on anything you do."

Rick looked at her and went silent. The things she said always made him feel like a man should feel; secure and confident, as a man should feel with his woman. He never had this kind of support before.

"Thank you." He said seriously.

From the look on his face, she could tell this was new to him. She walked over to the light switch and turned it off. Sitting next to him on the bed, she kissed him and played with the soft curls around his ears.

"You go ahead and go to sleep. I'm going to check on Judith and grab an apple."

"You're hungry?"

He started to get up, but she put her hand on his chest.

"Rick, as of right now I'm not a guest here anymore."

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Good, because I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open." He said, climbing into the bed.

"Me too. Last night was more than either one of us expected."

"Yeah, but last night only made me want you all the time, but right now, I'm so beat a half-starved dog could whup me."

"Alright my dear, close your eyes and sleep. When you start spouting country anecdotes, I know it's your bedtime."

She kissed his cheek and left him alone closing the door behind her.

After she had checked on the children and eaten her apple, she entered their bedroom. Rick was softly snoring, and she quickly undressed and slipped into bed.

"Judith alright?"

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"There are kids in the house. I'm used to sleeping with one eye and both ears opened."

"You're not taking care of them alone anymore. Try and sleep, please."

"Okay, what time is it?"

"Twelve-thirty."

"Just twelve-thirty? That gives us plenty of time." He said, pulling her into his arms.

"Don't blame me if you can't keep your eyes open during your briefing in the morning."

"This is worth it, you're worth it."

When she woke up in the morning, Rick was up and in the shower. She got up, made the bed and went to get the kids up. Carl was up and getting dressed, and Judith was sitting up in her crib playing with her stuffed animal. When she saw Michonne come into the room, she stood up.

"Good morning baby girl. How did you sleep?"

Michonne took her to the bathroom and then got her dressed to leave with Rick.

By the time Rick got dressed and went to see where his family was, Michonne and the kids were at the table eating breakfast. He looked at the breakfast table in amazement.

"Did you cater this?"

"Michonne cooked it." Carl offered.

"You assumed I couldn't cook and I let you." Michonne quipped. She walked over to Rick and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Good morning."

"Good morning, and I feel stupid." He said, kissing Judith before sitting at the table.

Carl got up and grabbed his bookbag.

"See you later Dad. Bye Michonne." Carl said heading for the door.

"I'll be here when you get home." Michonne called out after him.

"Okay."

Rick eyed Michonne with a gentle smile.

"What?" She asked.

"You'd make a great housewife."

"Pleasant enough thought, but I would be bored to tears within a month."

"You're really good at this."

"Because I love this. Getting up before the kids to get them ready for their day..."

She stopped talking and turned away from him. Rick stood and walked over to her and put his arms around her. There was nothing he could say that would ease what she felt. The pain of losing her child would always be with her. It was something he imagined a parent can't get over, and he would never attempt to persuade her to try.

She sniffed back tears and he released her and kissed her shoulder.

"I also love my career. I'm good at what I do."

"Yes, you are." He stated.

They both sat down at the table and she reached over and touched his hand.

"Rick, I plan to do everything I can to be here for our family."

"So do I."

"Our professions are hard and the hours are long, especially yours. Your job is difficult in a way mine isn't." She looked over at the gun in the holster at his right hip. She would never mention it, but she had already accepted the fact he could be killed in the line of duty. "We're in this together Rick, and whatever time you can give here, give it, but I don't have to tell you that, you've been doing it. What you do can be dangerous, and I want your head in the game, not worrying about us. I got this, you do your thing."

He smiled at her and looked down at their hands.

"Okay boss."

He stood and pulled her to her feet and kissed her so passionately, she thought they would end up back in bed.

"Kiss?" Judith said, clapping her hands.

Rick and Michonne laughed and he kissed her quickly again and reached for his jacket and put it on.

"When I get to the daycare, I'll put your name on the pickup list. Hopefully, I'll get off on time today, but who knows. She has to be picked up by six; that's when they close."

"Okay. I'll pick her up today before Carl gets out of school."

Rick picked up Judith and walked toward the door.

"If you're out around lunch time, call me." He said, giving her a quick kiss and a hug with his free arm.

"Okay. You be good out there."

"Yes ma'am."

"Bye Judith."

After Rick and Judith were gone, Michonne stood with her back against the front door and looked around the house. She reached for her phone and contacted some movers. She had a lot she wanted to get done before Carl came home.

Rick made it to the office with twenty minutes to spare, and no sooner had he reached his desk, his phone rang.

"Inspector Grimes." He said into the receiver.

"Rick, I need to see you in my office, Katie's already here." Tom's voice sounded a little stressed.

He put the receiver down and walked over to Tom's office.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Rick said, closing the door behind him.

His eyes flashed at a familiar face standing still by the far wall.

"Amy?"

"Hello Rick."

He smiled and walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"FBI."

"When did that happen?"

"About two years ago. I heard about Lori. I'm sorry Rick."

"Thank you."

"It's really good to see you again." Amy said, smiling at Rick.

Tom cleared his throat to get their attention.

"The FBI is asking us to assist agent Carter in her investigation."

"Why do you need us. I thought you were here to work with APD." Katie said.

"That's who I'm investigating."

Rick visibly rolled his eyes. Most of the men in that department were friends of his.

"Why the FBI? Internal Affairs usually handles things like that." Rick said.

"There are persons of interest in the APD and Internal Affairs we're investigating. I need your help navigating between the two departments."

"I don't like this." Rick said, looking at Amy.

"Neither do I Rick. I know the men we're after like you do."

She went on to explain the kind of help she needed with both departments. They finally left Tom's office and resumed working from Rick's desk. She pulled a chair close to him and they looked over the file together. Katie watched her carefully and it was clear to her that this woman was interested in Rick.

Finally, after two hours, they decided to take a break.

Rick picked up the phone to call Michonne to see how she was doing. He told her the agent they were working with was an old friend from high school, and that there was a chance they could go out for drinks after work.

"I'm going for coffee. Interested?" Amy said, hoping Rick would want to go with her.

"I'll drink what's here." Rick said, after getting off the phone.

"No thanks." Katie said, not looking up.

Once Amy walked away, Katie slowly turned to make sure Amy was gone. She grabbed a piece of paper from her desk, crumpled it, and tossed it at Rick's head. He shifted his gaze from the monitor to Katie's face.

"What?" He said demandingly.

"You know she wants to turn you into a snack, right?"

"Who?" He said, looking back down at the monitor.

"Does Michonne know how thick you are? Amy, you brick."

"She's an old friend. We went to high school together."

"Did you date her before Lori?"

Rick didn't answer, but looked away.

"I thought so." Katie said, shaking her head.

Rick ignored Katie and continued looking through files on the computer.

"When are you getting married?"

"Don't know yet."

"You better make it quick." Katie said, partially under her breath.

"I'm not thick Katie. Believe it or not, I've been flirted with before."

"Alright Grimes, even Superman had a weakness." Katie said, not convinced that Rick was immune to being tempted to cheat.

"Drop it Katie. She's here to do a job, not go after me."

"I'm not so sure. She might want to relive those glory days with you."

His eyes flashed to hers, but she held his gaze.

"All I'm saying Superman is be careful." Katie muttered.

When Amy returned, they worked a little past four before calling it quits for the day. Katie bowed out of going out for drinks and left Rick with Amy.

Michonne was pulling up to the Municipal building, when she saw Rick and Amy leaving together. Her watch read five; he had been off for an hour. If that woman was the FBI agent, she wouldn't need a ride home, not from him. She put her car back in gear and followed them. Her heart raced as she followed behind them. The palms of her hands were sweating, and thoughts of her love life fading by inches right before her eyes invaded her mind.

Rick stopped at a bar and Michonne parked several cars behind him. They didn't get out of the car right away, but sat there. She saw their heads come together briefly and she made a U-turn from where she was parked and drove away in the opposite direction. Tears poured from her eyes as she drove. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them to clear her vision. Even though in her heart she knew better, she saw what she saw. At that point she couldn't feel anger, only a deep sadness causing her to start sobbing. Her house was close, so she pulled in the driveway and ran to the door practically screaming. The house was practically empty now, and she had nothing to fall onto while she sobbed.

Rick pulled over and parked near the bar Amy chose. He reached for the door handle to open the door to get out, but Amy touched his arm. When he turned, she was inches from his face. She pressed her lips to his so quickly he had no time to respond. He pulled his head back, and frowned while he looked at her. She went in for another kiss, but he reached up and gently pushed her away from him.

"What are you doing?"

"It's been that long?" She said, trying to kiss him again.

"Amy." He uttered firmly. "I don't want this, you don't want this."

"But I do. I've always wanted you."

"You remember what we were to each other. It was only about sex."

"That's all I want now."

"You're not going to get it from me. I told you, I'm in love and I plan on getting married."

"You're not married yet though, are you?"

There was no mistake in the look he gave her. He was furious and it made her flinch.

"Get out of the car Amy." He demanded.

"Rick."

"Now please."

"You can't let me out here. I don't know my way around this city."

"The FBI hired you for your brains, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

She reluctantly got out of the car, and bent down to look at him again.

"Are you sure I can't persuade you?"

"I've never been surer about anything in my life except how much I love my girlfriend." 

Rick shook his head and drove away. On his ride home, he thought about the carelessness of his time with Amy. He met her his sophomore year. Her popularity at their high school had been legendary. She took one look at him and claimed him in front of a group of her friends. He found out later on she had made a bet with her friends that she could seduce the 'good boy' Rick Grimes within four days. She won the bet. They were together her senior year, and when she graduated that year, it was over. She moved on leaving him an experienced lover, but feeling like he had been kicked out, naked, from a moving car. Everyone knew they had been lovers; a reputation he didn't live down until his senior year when he started dating Lori.

He sat in the car in front of his house, and thought about his family. No one was home. He called Joanne, on a hunch, and was told she had the kids. Thinking Michonne had more things to move, he drove to her house. He saw her car in the driveway and pulled up behind it. She had given him a key, and he used it to unlock the door. The lights were out, so he proceeded in the dark.

"Michonne?" He called out to her.

As he crossed the living room, and his eyes became accustomed to the dark, he could make her out standing by the fireplace.

"How was your drink?"

Her tone was without emotion and cold. At first, he thought she was joking, but right now she was the lawyer on cross examination.

"There were no drinks."

"What went wrong? You decided to stay in the car and make out?"

"What?"

"I saw the two of you kissing in your car."

Now that he was there, she was both angry and heartbroken. She couldn't think straight or feel what she should feel about him. She felt betrayed.

He could see her eyes as the moonlight shone across her face. She regarded him the way she did when they first met. He looked down at the ground, not believing what was happening.

"There was a kiss, but I didn't kiss her." He replied, feeling that no matter what he said, she wouldn't hear him.

She made no comment, so he looked away from her with his head lowered.

"I'm going home." He conceded. "When you're ready to talk, that's where I'll be."

"Rick." She said coldly. "I get it, she's someone you know."

"Yeah well, I thought you knew me." He replied, not turning around.

What he just said hit her like a ton of bricks. When she heard the door close, she doubled over in painful sobs. Would she ever be able to talk to him again? Something is wrong here. She does know this man. He would have told her if he wanted to be with someone else instead of her.

She inhaled deeply to calm herself. Going home to him felt like what she needed to do, now. Her arms and legs were lead as she walked to her car. Tears fell silently down her face as she wondered if he would forgive her.

He was there, but the house was dark. She made her way to their room without turning on any lights. She felt his presence in the room as she approached the bed. He was lying on his back with an arm across his forehead. She sat down on her side of the bed.

"I told you that Amy and I knew each other from high school. It was more than that. We were lovers during her senior year. I was sixteen years old. We weren't in love, we didn't date, we just had sex. When she graduated she was gone. The next time I saw her was today. We went out for drinks, and when I parked the car she kissed me. She tried twice after that and I pushed her away. You obviously saw us."

"You don't have to explain."

"It seems I do." Rick said, sitting up.

She turned on his bedside lamp and he lowered his eyes. The tearstains on the side of his face running from his eyes into his hairline confirmed he had been crying.

"Disagreements over me forgetting to pick up my socks or reminding me for the hundredth time to put the toilet seat down should be as tough as it gets between us, not about something you should already know about me. Our careers are dramatic enough."

"I know, but…"

"I don't care Michonne, there is no but. You should know by now that my goal is to keep you happy, satisfied, confident and secure. Think about what we've shared so far means to you. I've asked you to marry me and not because I wanted you in my bed. I love you and that's no small thing to me. You should know that."

He got up from the bed, taking his pillow, and left their bedroom. She felt empty when he left her alone. Looking at the bed with one pillow missing reminded her of what it was like before Rick. Everything he said to her was right. They meant more to each other than the insignificant incident she had allowed to get to her. She did know this man, and what he says, he means. She lifted herself off the bed and peeled off her clothes on her way to the shower. She put on pajamas and brushed her teeth without looking in the mirror; afraid she would no longer recognize her reflection.

Standing in the middle of their bedroom, she inhaled and decided to go find him. There were twin beds in Carl's room, but he wasn't there. She walked over to the spare bedroom and in the dark, she could see his pale skin lying on his back. His soft breathing told her he was just falling asleep. She walked over to the bed, and as she went to lay beside him, he stretched out his arm to her, and pulled her to him. She lay partly on him with her head on his chest and an arm across his waist.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"My feelings haven't changed Michonne. I love you." He said kissing the top of her head.

The morning light, as it cleared the trees in the backyard, opened Rick's eyes and he let out a groan that woke Michonne. She lifted her head and got the same blast of light.

"Ah! This is your fault." She said, rolling over onto her stomach.

"I disagree. If…never mind, not going there. It's Saturday and we'll have enough on our hands dealing with Uncle Ed."

Michonne's head popped up and she grimaced.

"I totally forgot."

"They won't be here until after four."

"Good." She said, raising herself up to her knees. "I owe you something."

"What's that?" He said, with his eyes closed and his arm across his forehead.

She started planting kisses from his stomach up to his neck.

"Same rule applies; you can't touch me."

"I didn't state that rule." He said, finding it increasingly difficult to talk.

"You made it clear when you held my arms down at my sides."

She stopped for a moment and leaned forward to his face.

"Am I going to have to handcuff you officer?"

He looked at her curiously before answering. "No." He whispered.

She kissed his mouth deeply and went south from there.


	6. Chapter 6

Rick and Michonne spent most of the morning prepping for dinner with Uncle Ed, his wife Josephine and their daughter Mandy. Michonne let her mind wander, and she thought about the whirlwind romance she was in. She looked over at the man she loved while he prepared the meat for the grill. He was everything she had ever wanted, but were they moving too fast?

"Rick?"

"Yeah." He said, taking a quick count of the burgers he had formed.

"How long have we known each other?"

He looked up from what he was doing and squinted at her curiously.

"How long has it been since we met."

He put the last burger in his hand down on the platter and went to the sink to wash his hands.

"Going on three months." He said looking out the kitchen window.

She turned back to the vegetables she was chopping and noted in her mind that three months was only ninety days. A lot has gone on in that time; things she never would have thought would happen to her, yet they did happen, and in the middle of it all, she fell in love.

"You think we're moving too fast?" He asked, sitting on the bar stool across the counter from her.

"Yes and no. If you look at it…"

"Like an attorney would." He finished.

She smiled, and batted her eyes.

"If you look at it from the outside, it's crazy, reckless; but if you look at it from our eyes, it's good and it's right. You proposed to me after knowing me only two weeks."

"And?" Rick said shrugging.

She looked at him with a slightly painful question on her face.

"I left it open for you to decide when." He continued. "I knew this was right. I know from the outside it looks crazy, but I don't care what it looks like on the outside. I've wanted this all my life with a woman like you." He stopped for a moment and looked down at his hands. "I've let three women get close to me. The first one was Amy, and she was toxic, but I was sixteen and getting laid regularly, so why should I complain? Being with her turned me into someone I didn't like very much."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted something more. She was sucking the life out of me at sixteen. I hadn't had my driver's license for two months, but I couldn't let her go. I craved her. She made sure that I did."

"She was an addiction."

"Yes, she was, and when she graduated, I was a mess. I missed her, but not in the way you would think. I wasn't in love with her, and that made me hate that I missed her. My grades fell and my mother thought I was having a mental breakdown. My dad thought I was on drugs. It was an entire year and a half before I felt secure enough to even approach another girl. I met Lori my senior year, and looking back, it seems she used my insecurity to her advantage. She knew she could entice me into letting her have her way. I'm not a mystery or difficult to figure out, but I didn't like that fact being used to coerce me. Surprisingly, everything I've gone through in my relationships didn't change who I've always been. I'm fiercely loyal, and I guess that's why I was so upset when you thought I was in on Amy kissing me. I assumed you knew that kiss didn't come from me. I thought you would stop thinking with that incredible brain of yours and let your heart confirm what you know about me."

"I should have known. You wear who you are like your own skin. You show me every day what I mean to you, but what you and I have can be overwhelming at times. I watch you sleep and I can hardly believe you're real. I've never known anything like this."

"That makes two of us."

"The relationship I had with Mike was good at first, but after our son was born, he still lived as if it were only the two of us. That's what he wanted most. Just Mike and Michonne. He loved our son, but he longed for his independence."

Michonne finished with the vegetables and stopped to wash her hands.

"I'm sorry for not trusting you. I do know you Rick."

"And all my naïve glory? It took me a while to realize Amy was actually flirting with me."

"I really like that you got that short bus thing going on."

He laughed and kissed her.

"I'll go pick up the kids in an hour. So what do you suggest we do for an hour?" He asked smiling at Michonne.

"Shower?"

"You read my mind."

He hoisted Michonne off her feet. She squealed at the sudden movement and laughed when he tossed her onto his shoulder and carried her to their bedroom.

"Are you nervous?" Rick asked, as he dried off her back.

"Not really." She inhaled. "You'll be there."

"Every time."

The two of them got dressed in comfortable silence. To Michonne, meeting Rick's uncle was only going to be a challenge because he was Rick's uncle. She could care less about him being a bigot.

"Hey, it's three-fifteen. You need to go get the kids."

"You need anything while I'm out?"

"Nope, we're good to go."

After Rick left, Michonne went around and made sure everything was in place. There was beer and cold drinks in the fridge, the meat and vegetables were ready, and just then the doorbell rang.

She clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes. Of course, they would be early.

She went to the door and looked through the peep hole.

"Who is it?"

"Ed Grimes."

She winced and could hear him grumbling through the door. She opened it with a smile and watched his jaw drop.

"Who are you?" He asked directly. "Is my nephew doing so good he could afford to hire a housekeeper?"

"I beg your pardon?" Michonne asked with a frown.

Just as she was about to take a step toward him, Rick pulled up in the driveway and quickly got out of the car.

"Ed." Rick said grimly.

"There he is. I was starting to believe I was at the wrong house."

Rick took a quick look at Michonne and saw her breathing quicken.

"Ed. This is Michonne Mitchell. The woman I'm going to marry."

Ed was struck silent while he and Michonne exchanged hard looks.

"Come on in." Rick said. "Hey Josephine, Mandy."

"Hi Rick. Hi." The two of them spoke together to Michonne and the children.

"Ed, follow me out back. We're having burgers. Are you staying for dinner?"

"Ah no." Ed said, still in shock. "We gotta get back."

"Ed, you didn't come a hundred miles to stop by and then go back."

Rick closed the sliding glass door behind him, and Michonne turned to her guests.

"Josephine, Mandy, can I get you anything to drink?" Michonne asked.

"Some water would be nice." Josephine said.

"Mandy?"

"I'd like a soda if you have one."

"Pepsi okay?"

"Yes, thank you." Mandy said with a smile as she picked up Judith.

"Need any help?" Josephine asked.

Michonne was surprised and smiled.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry about my husband. I don't know how he could come from a family as nice as the Grimes' and turn out the way he did."

"Every family has at least one. In my line of work, I've been in a lot of situations like this."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a lawyer."

"A lawyer." Josephine said, laughing good naturedly. "He's going to be in for quite a shock."

Michonne scoffed and continued cutting up tomatoes. She didn't find anything about Ed even remotely amusing. He was Rick's uncle, but from what she's seen, he didn't deserve to have Rick for a nephew. She inhaled and put a smile on her face, determined to get along with Uncle Simon Legree.

"Why would you marry one of them." Ed said, once they got to the backyard.

"One of them? Do you ever hear the words that come out of your mouth?"

"I know the words I'm saying. Your father…"

"My father would what?" Rick said defiantly.

Rick was so angry, it made his uncle change what he was about to say.

"Well, I don't think he'd approve, that's all."

"Please don't think you know what he or my mother wanted for me. They wanted me to be happy, and that's what she makes me."

"Well…"

"Say it and I'll throw you out of my house, and if you're staying for dinner, you will respect her and stop putting your feet in your mouth."

The two men stood in the yard glaring at each other. Rick's uncle finally nodded.

Rick removed the burgers from the grill and went into the house followed by Ed.

They all sat down to dinner, and the small talk was…small. Ed being a man who loves to hear his own voice, was struggling to come up with appropriate conversation, but couldn't.

"Michonne's a lawyer Ed." Josephine said, looking at Ed.

"Is that how the two of you met?" Ed said carefully to Michonne.

"Yes. He investigates cases I'm assigned to try in court." Michonne said, wanting to grit her teeth.

"I'm sure you get a lot of work with the drug dealers and neighborhood crimes in ah, certain neighborhoods." Ed stated, then realized his mistake.

Rick was livid and Michonne was done. She slammed her fork down on the table and stood up. She looked at Rick who was on his feet. She shook her head and he backed off.

"Ed, I've been sitting here getting that Jim Crow vibe ever since you set foot into this house, and I can just imagine what you were saying to Rick outside. I was trying to be nice to you and keep my mouth shut for the sake of my family; these three souls sitting here. The only reason Rick invited you here was because I asked him to. I regret having done that now, and as far as I'm concerned, you aren't worthy to be related to this man."

She started to walk off, but changed her mind.

"And for your information, most of my clients are criminals of your color. I went to Harvard School of Law, and I even studied law at Oxford. That's in England. I'm smarter than you, I make more money than you, and I have more love in my life than you. You have insulted me from the moment I opened the door to you, and I don't ever want to see you in our home again."

She looked over at Josephine and Mandy.

"I'm sorry I said those things in front of you two, but I'm not sorry I said them. Good night."

She left the dining room and went down the hall to their bedroom, leaving everyone speechless. Carl sat glaring at his great uncle.

"Carl, take Judith to her room please." Rick said handing the baby to Carl.

"She's the most beautiful person I've ever met Ed, and I made the mistake of inviting you here. I'm ashamed of you."

"Rick." Ed started to speak.

"Shut up Ed!" Rick said, raising his voice. "Michonne doesn't suffer fools lightly. She was right, you started insulting her as soon as she answered the door to you, and you've genuinely pissed me off. I want you to leave."

Ed glared at his nephew and stood up and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry Rick." Josephine said standing.

"It's not your fault Josephine, it's his. You and Mandy are welcomed here anytime.

As soon as they left, Rick went to see about Michonne. She was pacing the floor with her arms folded, clearly trying to calm herself down. He stood in front of her and she stopped and leaned her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry." She said softly.

"Don't apologize. Your reaction was exactly right. You certainly have a knack for getting people to shut up."

She smirked and looked in his eyes.

"Let's go say good night to our kids." She said, taking his hand.

They walked down the hall together hand in hand. Rick stopped them briefly and took her in his arms.

"With everything that's gone on over the last week, I forgot to take the time today to tell you how much I love you."

"I'm all ears." She said smiling at him.

"I love you." He said quietly as if he was telling her for the first time.

She smiled and tears filled her eyes.

"I love you." She said leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

"Da-dy."

Judith ran down the hall and Rick lifted her off the floor.

"I'll get her bath, you go talk to your son." Michonne said, taking Judith from Rick.

"Michonne?" Carl said approaching them. "Can I talk to you?"

Michonne gave Rick a quick glance.

"Of course." She said handing Judith back to Rick.

Rick walked with Judith to her room and left Carl and Michonne alone.

"Is everything alright?"

"No." Carl said fidgeting in front of her. "I'm sorry about what happened with Uncle Ed."

"That wasn't your fault."

"He's an ass."

"Carl. He's your great uncle and you have to respect him."

"I can't respect a man who looks down on someone else just because their skin color is different."

Michonne smiled to herself so proud of Carl.

"I agree with you in a way. It's hard to show anyone respect when they don't respect others, but you have to be the one to show respect. You be the man your father and I want you to be."

"Aren't your angry at him?"

"I'm angrier at myself for letting him get to me. There are a lot of people in the world like him. They dislike anyone different than they are."

"I'm not like that." Carl said.

"I know you're not."

"How can anyone be like that?"

"Ignorance is the main reason. It takes one person to say something out of hatred against another person or group of people, then he gets more people to listen and believe in what he's saying, then pretty soon that hatred spreads."

Michonne's instinct was to protect her step-children from the evil and harm of the world, but she knew that was impossible, and all she can do is warn them.

"Carl, you will probably see this again simply because me and your dad are together. Speak your mind, but I don't ever want you to fight anyone about this. Be smart. There are other ways to fight prejudice. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Carl nodded thoughtfully.

Rick watched them from the open door of Carl's bedroom. He breathed easier knowing that his children were in good hands with Michonne. The world is a rough place for anyone, especially children, especially children facing any kind of prejudices.

Michonne kissed Carl's head and stood to leave.

"I'll see you in the morning."

When she turned, she saw Rick standing at the door. He smiled at her with a combination of sadness and pride.

"Good night son." Rick said, waiting for Michonne to leave the room before he left after her closing the door behind him. "Judith's sleeping and I'm quickly getting sleepy myself."

"It was more of a day than we expected." Michonne said, taking his arm.

"It was."

He took her hand and led her into the den where he directed her to sit down on the couch. He sat down beside her and took her hand.

"I heard what you said to Carl. It seems we're all up for the challenges we may face as a family."

She leaned her head back and exhaled.

"I hate that with all the other challenges in life, we have to deal with this one."

"Deal with it we will."

She leaned over to him and kissed his cheek. Her mood changed and when he stood, he sensed she wanted to be alone.

"I'll be there later. I'm going to clean the kitchen." He said, casually holding onto her hand.

"Thanks." She said, slowly letting go of his hand.

Standing under the warm water, she inhaled deeply; taking calming breaths to relax the tension in her back and shoulders. She had prepared all her life to face people like Ed Grimes with their slights and insults, but for a moment she put that out of her mind, fell in love and shut out the ugliness based on the color of a person's skin. She scoffed, and got out of the shower, knowing that part of human nature will never go away.

She stood under the heating lamp in the ceiling and dried herself. Rick stood in the bathroom doorway watching her.

"You okay?"

She looked at him without expression and nodded.

"I'm sorry Michonne."

"It's not your fault." She said, wrapping the towel around her. "You can't take the blame for your uncle or things done by others of your race. I draw my conclusions about a person on an individual basis, as you do. When you first saw me, what stood out?"

"Your body in that bathing suit you had on." He answered quickly.

"When did you notice my skin color?"

He frowned wondering where this conversation was going.

"Immediately."

"Exactly. I can't hide this." She said, spreading her arms. "Conclusions aren't drawn about me on an individual basis, not all the time. Tonight, was one of those times and I'm afraid I got a little pissed off."

"Because you love me." He stated plainly.

She looked at him with a seriousness that hit him in his heart. He was right. She hadn't gotten upset with Ed because he insulted her. What he insulted was the love she shared with Rick. He had reduced it in his petty mind to something cheap and without merit. She exhaled, letting what Rick just said wrap around her like a warm blanket, and relief washed across her face and she managed a smile.

She walked over to him and put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

A month had gone by since Ed's visit. Their lives moved forward at a nice, steady pace, and their family unit grew stronger every day. As they sat down at breakfast one Friday morning, Michonne noticed Carl was not quite himself.

"Carl?" Michonne said, studying his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, it's something. Spill it."

Rick looked at the two of them and focused on Carl as well. Carl shifted in his chair and looked first at Rick, and then Michonne.

"I was talking to some kids at school, and I called you my mom and some kid blurted out that my mom was dead."

Michonne looked at Rick and then back at Carl.

"You can call me your mom if you want to. The only people it should matter to is us here. Explain it to them however you want."

"I did, but they said it doesn't count because you're not married to my dad."

Rick and Michonne made eye contact then Rick looked over at Carl.

"We're engaged to be married." Rick said.

Carl looked at the two of them and shook his head.

"What are you waiting for?" Carl said getting up from the table.

Rick looked at Michonne for a moment then looked away. She was the only one with an answer to that question.

"See you later." Carl said, walking out the door.

Rick got up to leave as well.

"Rick." Michonne said.

"It's your call Michonne. I told you I wouldn't push you, and I don't want what Carl said force you into what you're not ready for. I want you sure."

He walked over and kissed her cheek and helped Judith down from her chair.

"I'll see you at lunch today." He said.

Michonne sat there and felt the pressure lift when he told her their wedding date was up to her. She couldn't think about it now, so she got up and cleared the table before she left for work.

When she got to work, she glanced into the first-floor detective's office and saw Rick at his desk. He was talking intently to Katie. She decided to take the stairs up to the fifth floor.

"Michonne, there's someone here to see you."

"Do they have an appointment?" Michonne said walking across the waiting room to her secretary's desk.

"No, I don't, because I doubt if you would see me if I had one."

She turned around and glared at Ed Grimes.

"What can I help you with Mr. Grimes?"

"Do you usually conduct business out in the open?"

She frowned and gestured to her office. Inside the office, Ed looked around her office.

"What is it you need Mr. Grimes?" Michonne said, placing her briefcase on her desk.

"After our visit, Josephine was upset with me and told me to come apologize."

"It didn't occur to you that you needed to apologize without needing to be told?"

He looked at Michonne.

"If you needed to be told to apologize, I can't accept it, I won't."

Tom passed by Rick's desk on his way to his office.

"What's your uncle doing here?"

Rick looked up at him and stood.

"My uncle?"

"Yeah, he's in Michonne's office."

Rick bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached the fifth-floor offices.

Tom looked at Katie and the two of them headed for the elevator.

As Rick reached the top of the stairs, he could hear Ed's raised voice through the closed door and Rick rushed forward, grasping the knob and opening the door.

"Ed!" Rick said, coming into the room and looking at Michonne.

"I came here to apologize to your girl here, and she won't accept it!" Ed bellowed with a red face.

"Because you don't mean it!" Rick said, glaring at his uncle.

Ed looked at his nephew. He was fuming. Tom and Katie walked into the office.

Rick walked over to Michonne and took her hand.

"Get your purse."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see. Ed, Tom, Katie, join us please."

Michonne grabbed her purse just before Rick all but dragged her out of the office and into the elevator. When they were all in, he pushed the button to the ground floor.

"Rick." Tom said quietly.

"Not now Tom."

As angry as Rick was, he held on gently to Michonne's hand, but she knew he had reached his boiling point, something she had never seen before.

When the elevator doors opened, they walked in a procession behind Rick and Michonne out of the office building and across the street to the courthouse.

Just as Michonne was about to question Rick of his intentions, he looked at her and she refrained from speaking. They continued down the corridor to the office of Judge Mason Wright. Rick opened the door and they all filed in.

"Sarah, I need to see the judge." Rick stated.

She looked at the crowd with him and rose from her chair and went into the judge's office. A short-time later the judge walked out into the waiting room and observed the group, then looked at Rick.

"What can I do for you Rick?"

"Mason, I need a favor."

"Anything Rick."

"I have an unusual request. I'd appreciate it if you would perform a marriage ceremony for Michonne and me in front of these witnesses."

Michonne's mouth dropped open as she looked over at Rick who chose not to look at her.

The judge looked at Rick and then Michonne.

"Are you agreeable to this counselor?" The judge asked Michonne.

Rick finally looked at her and then she looked at the judge.

"This is not what I had in mind, but yes, I am."

"Let's get this done then. Sarah, would you please get a marriage license and bring it into my office."

They all followed the judge into his office and he pulled a Bible out of his desk drawer.

"I know the two of you are believers, so I'll forgo the cookie cutter version for something more meaningful. Do either one of you have anything to say?"

Rick looked at Michonne and then turned around to face their witnesses.

"What I've done is totally selfish. This is not what Michonne wanted. She wants to marry me, but she wanted more time and a proper wedding. We'll still have that," he said looking at her. "but between Carl getting put on the spot at school because he referred to Michonne as his mom, and my uncle calling her my girl, I've reached my limit of tolerance. From this point on, Ed, Michonne is my wife and the mother of my children."

He took Michonne's hand and stood close to her.

"I love you with all my heart, and I hope you'll forgive me for forcing your hand."

"I love you, and we'll discuss this later." She smiled a little too sweetly.

Katie giggled, and received a sharp look from Rick.

The judge read a few scriptures and completed the ceremony with them saying 'I do,' and Rick kissing his bride. Ed watched his nephew closely and saw the tears in his eyes. He knew Rick loved his deceased wife, but this was different. Suddenly, he felt ashamed for giving in to an attitude that when compared to what he saw between the couple in front of him, was despicable indeed.

Rick kissed Michonne and then her hands. Sarah produced the marriage license which the two of them, Katie, Tom and the judge signed.

Congratulations were given by the witnesses, and Rick shook the judge's hand, and the judge kissed Michonne's cheek.

"Thanks Mason." She said smiling.

"Don't be so hard on him for jumping the gun, but you know as well as I do, that once he gets his wind up, he's a hard man to stop."

"Yes, he is." Michonne said, starting to feel the weight of what just happened,

When she turned to join Rick, Ed was standing there waiting to talk to her. She saw a bit of Rick in him as he looked down before looking up to speak.

"Michonne, I love my nephew. He's a special man, he always has been. He loves you, I saw that today. He told me you make him happy. That's all I want for him, and I am sorry for the way I treated you. It will probably take me some time, because I'm stubborn like him, but I promise to do better."

Michonne could see what Ed just said to her had been difficult, but he had meant it, and much to her surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Welcome to the family Michonne Grimes." He said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Ed." She said, looking thoughtfully into his blue eyes. "We have something in common now besides our last name."

"What in blue thunder could that be?" He said with a smirk.

"We both want him happy."

They looked at each other and reached an understanding. They both loved Rick and agreed to work together to that end.


	7. Chapter 7

Rick, Michonne and Carl sat together in the den with an evening meal of pizza and sweet tea. Judith had fallen asleep on the couch with her head in Rick's lap. Carl gazed between Rick and Michonne with, what seemed like, a permanent smile on his face. The news of them getting married was like Christmas to him. His father's smiling eyes showed how happy he was. Hearing Michonne relay the events to him and how his father made Ed witness the ceremony made him laugh.

"I wished I could have been there." Carl said.

"We're going to have a real wedding." Rick said smiling at his son.

"And we want you in it." Michonne added, giving Carl a wink.

"You do? What would I be doing?"

"You can stand with me. You're the best man I know."

Carl's face got serious as the true meaning of the event began to sink in. Rick understood that this was going to be a transition for Carl. Michonne was no longer his father's girlfriend, she was now his father's wife.

"Do you have any questions for us?" Rick said smiling sadly at Carl.

Carl smiled back at his father.

"What does this mean for me and Judith?"

The alarmed look on Rick's face, prompted Michonne to move from her place next to him and sit with Carl.

"Do you think that the two of us getting married changes who you are in this family?" Michonne asked, giving Rick a quick look.

Carl's gaze avoided the two of them, and Michonne saw a tear fall from the boy's eye.

"Carl, when your dad and I speak the words at our wedding, they will include you and Judith in them. We love you and always will."

Carl looked up at Michonne and she put an arm around his shoulders.

"Sometimes people don't stay together." He said with a tremble in his voice.

"You're right." Rick replied. "Sometimes they don't."

"But if that happens," Michonne continued. "it won't change how I feel about you. You are my son and Judith is my daughter. That will never change."

"Can we be official too, me and Judith? I-I mean, can Michonne be our mom, Dad?"

Michonne gazed at Rick with tears in her eyes. There was a yes in her eyes that changed his expression from a smile to a look displaying the depth of his love for the woman he married.

"If that's what you want Carl." Rick said, not taking his eyes from Michonne's.

"What do we have to do?"

"We'll have to go to court for that." Rick said, giving Carl his attention.

Carl looked to Michonne for her response.

"Do I have to wait for that before I can call you mom?"

All Michonne could do was shake her head in answer to his question. She wiped at the tears running down her cheeks, and turned her gaze to Rick who was smiling at her.

"When is the wedding?" Carl spoke brightly.

Michonne looked at Rick and cleared her throat.

"You pick the date. I can't seem to make up my mind."

"Really?" Carl gushed.

"Yes, really."

"How about this weekend?"

Rick and Michonne laughed out loud.

"Too soon? How about next month?" Carl replied, laughing with them.

"Yes, please. I need to make sure my dress is ready."

"Okay." Carl said, pulling up the calendar on his phone. "How about the fourth Saturday in July."

"The twenty-second." Michonne said, looking at the date he showed her.

She looked over at Rick who nodded his consent.

Carl nodded and yawned. He stood up from the floor and looked at his father.

"Congratulations. You did good Dad. I'm going to bed."

Michonne stood up as well, gave her son a hug and a kiss on his cheek. He surprised her when he kissed her back. She smiled sadly and then kissed his head.

"Sleep well Carl."

"Goodnight, Mom." Carl said looking up at Michonne with a smile.

"Goodnight son." Rick said, as Carl turned to leave.

Michonne watched Carl until he was out of sight, and then turned to Rick.

"Did you know he wanted me to adopt him?" She asked, sitting down next to Rick.

"I had no idea, but I was thinking, why didn't we think of that?"

Still stunned, she looked straight ahead with a smile befitting the complete joy she was feeling.

"You look happy." Rick stated, with a smile matching hers.

"More than I believed I could be. I never thought I'd be called Mom again."

She turned to Rick trying her best not to cry.

"It suits you."

Rick put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. When she inhaled, her breath trembled and he knew she was crying.

"You deserve this happiness Michonne, both of us do, but up until today I felt that we were only halfway there; like one of us could take a different path at any time."

"By one of us you mean me." She said, sniffing back tears.

Rick gazed at her without comment or gesture, but she nodded her head slowly, and looked down at their entwined fingers.

"I'm home now, finally. There's no other place I'd rather be than where you are, and our children."

He smiled at her and kissed her.

"I was always going to marry you Grimes. Besides, you gave me grandmother's ring."

Rick turned away and wiped at his eye, and then reached over to the end table and picked up the ring box.

"I was going to put this on your finger tonight, but since we now have a wedding date, it'll have to wait."

He opened the box to show her the mate to her engagement ring. It was a wide, solid band of gold with a notch in it that fit snugly around the stone setting of her engagement ring. He took it out of the box and slipped it on her finger.

"Rick!" Michonne squealed in delight, extending her arm to display the ring on her finger.

"I know. I've always thought this set was special. It looks like we'll need to get it resized though."

"Do you plan on wearing a ring?" She asked him.

"Only if you want to keep the women off me."

"Hmm. These days a ring isn't nearly enough. For you I think a tattoo on your forehead that reads 'Hands Off! Property of Michonne Grimes. Approach to your own peril.'

Rick made a face.

"I'd rather have the ring if you don't mind, and don't forget, I carry a gun."

He regarded her smiling face and searched her eyes. He leaned over to her and kissed her again. She felt the emotional urgency in his kiss and responded in kind. He broke the kiss, but kept his head close to hers.

"Are you sure you really want this?" He asked, his voice was low and weak.

She gazed lovingly into his eyes and smiled.

"I let you drag me across a busy street followed by your partner, your boss and your uncle. You brought me before one of the most powerful judges in Atlanta, who happens to be a good friend of yours, and I said, 'I do.' What part of that would have you think I wasn't sure?"

"You could have stopped me." He said, looking at her seriously.

They both knew she held sway over him like no one else. He regarded it as her superpower that she only used for good and not evil. It made him smile because sometimes he wanted someone to take control from him, and it gave him a deep sense of satisfaction that she could do it.

"I could have, but I didn't. I wanted this too. You are enough for me Grimes, more than enough."

"Prove it." He said soberly.

She looked at him curiously and let the hint of a smile tug at a corner of her mouth.

"How?" She asked confused.

He looked down at their entwined fingers and inhaled.

"Always be with me."

She lifted his chin to study his eyes. There was something in them that lay just beyond the love he had for her; an insecurity she hadn't seen before.

"Always." She stated with a sad smile.

Her chest pounded at the sight of this heartbreaking moment of uncertainty in him. She reached around him and gently pulled him to her. He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"Judge Wright's judgment was that our vows bind us together as long as we live. The Bible verse he read stated that because a woman is part of a man, he leaves his parents and unites with his wife and they become one flesh. This means everything to me. I gave God and you my word. You can't get rid of me Grimes. That would be like tearing yourself in two."

Rick was so moved he lifted his head and took her in his arms. His heart was so full he couldn't speak for fear of crying uncontrollably like a virgin bride on her wedding night.

Michonne gently pulled away from him so she could see his eyes again.

"Whatever fears you have or the battle you're fighting with yourself, it's over now. You and I are one in every sense of the word."

He nodded his understanding and kissed her gently at first, then deeper as he pulled her closer. The smile on his face made her smile, and she traced her finger into the long dimple on his cheek.

There was nothing new about Rick and Michonne's married life compared to their life together before, except for Michonne's frantic planning of their official wedding ceremony. With the wedding a week away, Michonne took a two-week vacation to have everything perfect. The wedding and reception would be at their home with a small group of their family and friends in attendance. The cake was ordered, the caterer was selected, and all the invitations were mailed save for the one she now held in her hand.

She sat at the kitchen table staring at the names on the invitation in her hand that should have been sent with the others. She was close to her parents before moving to Atlanta and visited them often, but the last time they were together things went very badly, and they parted on bad terms. That was over a year ago.

The silence in the house was like a whistle blowing FOUL in her ears. Her slight at mailing the invitation to her parents resounded throughout the quiet house. Rick was at work, Carl at school, and Judith was at daycare. What she wouldn't give for an ear full of Judith's toddler babble at that moment.

There was a decision to make, and there was no excuse for the way she was handling this. Rick needed to be told, and she chided herself for not telling him sooner. She shook her head when she was reminded how good he was at never asking her about what she didn't offer freely.

Taking a deep breath and holding it in, she picked up the phone and dialed the number. The voicemail picked up, and out of sheer panic and a desire to get this over with, she started her message.

"Hi Mom and Dad. I called to tell you I'm getting married and I want the two of you to come. Please call me back. I love you."

She quickly hung up the phone and took a few deep breaths. What she didn't hear was Rick coming home. He stood less than ten feet from her, cleared his throat, and waited patiently until she collected herself to tell him about that curious phone call.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." She said, turning in the chair to face him.

"You don't have to apologize Michonne. I trust you. Anything you wanted to tell me, I assumed you would eventually, especially about your parents. Why would you feel you needed to keep that from me?"

"It's complicated."

"Family matters usually are."

She inhaled again without losing eye contact with him.

"My dad and I pretty much stopped talking to one another. The last time I saw them or talked to them was right before I moved here."

"What happened?"

She got up from the chair and stood nervously before him. He reached out for her hand and when she took it, he pulled her a little closer.

"My father had a life carved out for me from the moment I was born, right down to who they wanted me to marry."

Rick's eyebrows raised, and he gently nudged her back to the table where they both could sit down.

"They wanted me to be a lawyer, and I thought that would be enough. According to my father's timetable, I should be a supreme court judge by now. The fact that I'm not was regarded as an insult."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not his son."

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"My brother died about ten years ago. He was their pride and joy. They loved me too, but he was perfect, and a male. Everything he touched grew." She said staring into nothing.

"What happened to him?"

"He died in a car accident and they took it exceptionally hard, especially Dad."

"I know you understand how that's not an easy thing to recover from…out living your children." Rick said touching her hand.

"I don't hold that against him, and I thought we'd be okay, but when he turned his hopes on me, I politely asked him not to. Both my parents are lawyers, so that was expected of me."

"Good thing you happen to love being a lawyer."

"That's for sure, but now that I have a family of my own, I've reached as high as I want to. This life I'm building with you is greater than any level I could achieve in my profession."

His eyes smiled at her and he squeezed her hand. Before he could lean forward to kiss her, her phone rang. Rick gave her a warm smile, stood and kissed her head.

"Must be a sign." He said placing a hand on her shoulder. "I would like to meet your parents Michonne, but it's your call. I love you." He whispered and left her alone.

Rick walked down the hallway and into their bedroom. He closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed. Hopefully, the phone call would be the first step to reconciliation and closure for Michonne and her parents. Even though his relationship with Michonne was closer than with anyone he had ever known, he knew there were some things she kept hidden inside, even to him. A smile played across his lips as he thought about the interesting and mysterious things he discovers about her every day. He fell back on the bed and waited.

After the phone call, Michonne walked purposefully down the hall and opened the bedroom door. Rick sat up and studied her face.

"They'll be here Friday night." She said quietly.

He stood slowly and wanted to be happy for her, but he wasn't sure if she was.

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

She inhaled and paced a few steps back and forth.

"My mother was surprised, but happy. My dad wasn't too happy to hear you're a police officer, but the conversation felt promising."

"Are they going to be surprised when they meet me?"

"I told them you're a widower, and that you have two children."

Rick leaned his head to one side and squinted at her.

"Michonne?" He queried with a hint of sternness.

"I told them you're a Caucasian male in your early forties." She said, rolling her eyes. "I shouldn't have to have told them that."

"I agree, and it would be different if we were dating and you were bringing me home to meet them, and we lived in a perfect world, but we don't. I'm already your husband, and they're coming to our wedding without having met me. I'd rather they knew in advance so we can get right to the getting to know each other part.

"You're right. They did say they were glad I told them."

"Don't worry, it'll work out. Come here." He said, motioning to her to join him on the bed.

She sat down next to him and rested her hand on his leg. Suddenly, it dawned on her that he was home.

"Hey, what are you doing home so early?"

"I thought you might need some help, I guess I was right."

"Thank you." She said, smiling sweetly.

Armed with Rick's ever-present support, Michonne refused to put any more energy into fretting about the arrival of her parents. The conversation she had with them was full of promise. She had missed them, and really wanted to introduce them to her family. Everything was out in the open now, so she could concentrate on her wedding.

Rick and Carl got a kick out of Michonne asking for their opinion on color swatches and flowers. They stood by patiently while she held up color swatches to their faces to get just the right color of blue for their ties that matched their eyes. Once that was accomplished, she could go hunting for a blue dress for Judith. Rick gave her a wide berth at this time, and thought it best to indulge her. He knew she wanted everything a certain way, and him getting involved would only stress her out.

Two days before the wedding, she went to the dressmaker to pick up her dress. She had ordered it shortly after their courthouse wedding. It was an off-white strapless dress with tiny blue tulips on the bodice. The skirt of the dress had a slight flare to it and a hem line that stopped just above her knees. She turned to a profile view, then moved her head from side to side.

"I love it."

"It is quite breathtaking Michonne. Rick's going to…" The dressmaker started.

"Yeah, he is." Michonne finished, smiling brightly.

The day before the wedding, Rick and Michonne collapsed on the couch exhausted from all the finishing touches that needed attention. Everything was finally ready for the wedding and the reception. Tom was handling the cake, and Katie oversaw the catering.

"Is that everything?" Rick asked, leaning his head back on the sofa and closing his eyes.

"That's it. My parents should be here in…"

The doorbell rang and Rick lifted his head and they both looked at each other.

"You want to get it?" Rick asked, making a move to stand.

When she didn't answer, he giggled, stood and stepped over her outstretched legs and dragged his hands through his hair before answering the door. His eyes opened wide when his gaze fell on who had to be Michonne's parents. Mr. Mitchell was tall and somewhat stoic, while Mrs. Mitchell looked at him with a warm smile and bright eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell?"

"You must be my son-in-law." Mr. Mitchell said reaching out a hand to shake Rick's.

"Yes sir. Please come in. Mrs. Mitchell, it's nice to meet you."

They stepped inside the house and Michonne walked out of the living room and immediately went and hugged her parents.

"Where are the children?" Mrs. Mitchell asked.

"They're with their grandparents." Rick offered.

"I look forward to meeting your parents Rick." Mrs. Mitchell said.

"My parents are deceased. They're with their mother's parents. They'll be here in about an hour."

They all sat down together at the kitchen table to get acquainted. Rick and Mr. Mitchell hit it off rather quickly, despite Mr. Mitchell's earlier concern in meeting his daughter's husband for the first time. Michonne sat in awe watching them talking as if they had known each other for years. They both had something in common that made Michonne and her mother roll their eyes in unison. Football.

"The two of you should stay here tonight." Michonne stated.

"We can't impose." Mrs. Mitchell said.

"We insist." Rick chimed in. "And besides, you're already here."

"And you'd be doing us a favor Mom. I'd like you to help me get ready for tomorrow."

"In that case we'll stay." Mrs. Mitchell said, smiling at her daughter. "Now, show me your dress."

Michonne and her mother disappeared to the guest bedroom where her dress was hanging. Her mother gushed over the dress and shoes.

"He really makes you happy, doesn't he?" She said stopping and looking at Michonne.

"More than I've ever been, Mom."

"He's a looker too, that's for sure."

"He'll do."

They both laughed and sat down on the bed.

"How did the two of you find each other?"

"He's a detective assigned to my office."

"You work together. How's that going?"

"Easier than you would think, and we promised to leave our work at the office."

"Excellent. Bringing work home can ruin your relationship. Tell me about the children."

Mrs. Mitchell had always wanted grandchildren and was devastated when Michonne's son died. Michonne was happy that her mother would be embracing Carl and Judith.

"Carl is ten and Judith is almost four. They are very special, you'll really like them."

Mr. Mitchell sat back in the chair and took a long look at Rick. The only long looks Rick ever shied away from were the ones he got from Michonne when he was in trouble. He waited patiently for Mr. Mitchell to say what was on his mind.

"I must admit I was skeptical when Michonne told us she had gotten married. Her career has always come first. So, I concluded that you must be worth more than what she's giving up."

Mr. Mitchell covered a smile watching Rick's face flush.

"Rick, you're not what I expected at all. I was expecting someone a little more like she is, even a little more uptight."

Rick stifled a laugh, but he did smile.

"We had someone in mind we wanted her to marry, but of course in the end, the choice is hers. You love my daughter, that's all we really wanted. She's the most precious thing on earth to you, I see it in your eyes."

"She is Mr. Mitchell. More than I can say."

Mr. Mitchell smiled and nodded at Rick.

Hearing a key in the lock of the front door, Rick got up to meet Carl. He waved at Buck as he beeped the horn before driving away.

"Grandma said she's going to keep Judith and bring her early tomorrow."

Michonne and her mother came out to see the children.

"Carl, these are my parents."

"Hello." Carl said sheepishly.

"They're keeping Judith overnight and bringing her early." Rick told Michonne.

"That's probably for the best." She said.

"She's asleep already anyway." Carl added.

"Are you ready for tomorrow Carl?" Mrs. Mitchell asked.

"I think so. I'm glad all I have to do is stand up next to my dad."

She smiled at Carl and patted him gently on his shoulder.

"Would like to help me with some final wedding arrangements?" She asked.

"Okay." He said with a hint of apprehension.

"I'm using Michonne's check list, and I want to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything. You in?"

Carl smiled and nodded his head.

She took the list and a pen from her pocket and handed them to Carl. They then proceeded to walk through the house. Rick looked at Michonne and they smiled. Rick enjoyed having Michonne's parents there to share in their lives.

Rick sat on the sofa and Michonne sat on the coffee table in front of him. They held hands tenderly with several moments having gone by with the only talking coming from her mother and Carl.

"I love you." Rick said suddenly.

She looked up with a smile that was on the verge of trembling. Tears filled her eyes as if he were telling her for the first time.

"I've never felt this way before."

"It's almost painful, isn't it?" She said cupping his cheek with her other hand.

He nodded and kissed the palm of her hand.

"I'm glad we decided to have a wedding." Michonne said quietly.

"Me too." He said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek. "Do you think we can get past your mother and spend the night together?"

"We can try." She said smiling.

They quietly stood and he took her hand and they made their way, quietly, across to the other side of the house. Looking for Mrs. Mitchell along the way, they made it to the hallway.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

They stopped in their tracks and slowly turned around.

"To bed?" Rick said, attempting innocence.

Mrs. Mitchell shook her head at the two of them.

"Don't you have a bachelor party to go to?"

Rick blinked at his mother-in-law in amusement, but had no intention of laughing or bucking her. Michonne was definitely _her_ daughter.

"I didn't want one." He said flatly.

"I know you two are married already, but tomorrow is what you should have done in the first place; it should be special, like the two of you are."

Rick smiled and walked over to Mrs. Mitchell and hugged her. He looked in her eyes and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you." Rick said smiling.

"You're welcome, and by the way, I made up the couch in the den for you Rick, and I expect you to sleep on it tonight." She gloated, smiling sweetly back at Rick.

Rick's smile turned into a smirk, and he nodded at his mother-in-law.

"Yes ma'am." Rick said wanting to laugh.

"What?" Michonne asked, incredulously.

She started to walk away, but turned back to the couple.

"Don't make me sequester one of you. Go get your pajamas, kiss your wife goodnight, and let's all get a good night's rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

She turned her back to them and waited for Rick. Rick gave in to his urge and started to laugh. He walked into their bedroom and grabbed his pajama bottoms.

"She reminds me of someone." Rick said, giving Michonne a quick peck on the lips.

"What are we going to do with her?" Michonne asked, shaking her head.

"Nothing. She's a keeper."

"Come on Rick." Mrs. Mitchell called out behind her.

He smiled sadly at Michonne and gave her another kiss.

"Good night sweetheart."

"Good night." Michonne said, folding her arms and giving him half a smile. "Good night Evillene!"

"Get over it Michonne. I'm sure the embargo won't last the night."

Michonne lay awake in bed alone, missing Rick, while she went through her checklist in her mind. She had wanted the house and backyard filled with roses, carnations and irises, but couldn't decide on any one color, so she gave the florist the go ahead to mix the colors up. One item on her list she gave to Rick, per his request, was her bouquet. What a perfect bouquet. The thought of him selecting such beautiful flowers brought tears to her eyes. The last thought as she closed her eyes was how much she loved her man.

Rick's eyes sprang open as he sat bolt upright. He looked over at Michonne and chuckled as he quickly got out of bed pulling on his pajamas. His mother-in-law was right, the embargo didn't last the night, and not wanting to incur her wrath, he all but ran to the den, and his appointed pre-wedding sleeping quarters.

Running past the kitchen he stopped short and looked over at his mother-in-law sitting at the table.

"Coffee?" She asked, not looking up from her tablet.

Rick looked down at the floor and smiled.

"Good morning, and yes, please. I'll just grab a shirt."

When he returned, she had a cup of hot coffee waiting for him. He sat down and she looked at him and smiled.

"You knew we wouldn't be able to sleep apart, didn't you?"

"I did." She admitted. "I don't blame you at all. When I first saw the two of you together, I was amazed and impressed. As individual as you two are, you move and think like one person. That's rare Rick."

"I know. I loved my first wife, but what I had then was nothing compared to my life with Michonne. It scares me sometimes. Every morning I thank God she's still with me."

"Don't sell yourself short, Rick. If you weren't the man you are, she wouldn't be with you."

"She's told me that."

"She's told you what?" Michonne said, walking sleepily into the kitchen.

"Good morning." Rick said with a toothy grin. "We got busted."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you she wakes up early." Michonne said smiling at her mother.

"That info would have been helpful, dear." He said, taking her hand.

"Sorry." She said quietly before giving his cheek a quick peck.

"Oh, that reminds me." Rick said, excusing himself.

He walked out to the garage and took a box out of the refrigerator.

"Your mom said something to me just now that has to be a sign of some sort. She said that we're like one person, and that it is rare. Like this." He said, handing her the box.

She gave him a sad smile and opened the box. Gasping as she reached into the box, she pulled out her bouquet made up of four blue roses.

"Rick! These are rare, and special."

"Just like you."

She smiled brightly and put her arms around his neck.

"Thank you." She said into his ear.

Rick caught his mother-in-law's eye, and she smiled and nodded her approval.

When Mr. Mitchell entered the kitchen, he spoke to everyone and went right to work cooking breakfast for everyone. Buck and Joanne arrived with Judith and settled for just coffee. About an hour later, the cake arrived as did the caterers. Rick looked at Michonne confirming it was about to happen. Mrs. Mitchell had been right, that should have done it this way in the first place. He looked at his watch and the two of them stood.

"I'll meet you in about thirty minutes."

"Don't be late." Michonne said teasing.

"Not a chance." Rick said seriously.

He kissed her and gave her a hug.

"Oh, is it that time already?" Buck said laughing.

"Yeah, don't get lost." Rick joked back.

Rick and Carl were assigned to Carl's room, leaving the master bedroom on the other side of the house, free for the bride's privacy.

Katie and the caterers arrived before Rick headed for the shower. She gave him a hug and went right to work directing the caterers.

"Are you nervous Dad?"

"Not really. Are you?"

"I'm not the one getting married." Carl said laughing. Were you nervous when you married Mom?"

"Yes, I was. I was afraid I would forget what I was supposed to say."

"I do Dad?" Carl laughed again.

"Just wait until you get married."

"I think I could remember two words Dad." Carl giggled.

"Not when your bride is walking down the aisle headed straight for you."

"Two words Dad?"

"I'll remember you said that."

"The pastor's here Rick!" Mrs. Mitchell called through the door.

"On my way."

Rick and Carl met the pastor in the backyard and had a short talk with them. The three of them walked out to the backyard where they stood next to the flowered arch Rick and Carl erected. Carl kept an eye on his father while Michonne and her mother got dressed.

The two women gazed at Michonne's image in the mirror. Her mother smiled lovingly at her.

"You look incredible baby."

"Thank you, Mom. This is all making me a little nervous."

"Why? You are loved and you love him."

"I know. It's not that Mom. It's the all eyes on me thing."

"You wanna phone in your part of the ceremony?"

Michonne rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

"Point taken." Michonne said quietly.

"Pretend you're in court."

"Not the same Mom."

"I said pretend."

Mr. Mitchell knocked on the door and then opened the door. Seeing Michonne in her dress, he dabbed at his eyes with the handkerchief in his hand.

"Please don't Dad."

"I can tear up if I want to. You look absolutely amazing."

"Thanks Dad."

He walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

"You have a backyard full of people, a pastor and two men eagerly waiting on you."

"Let's do this then."

He smiled at his wife and gave her a quick kiss. Mrs. Mitchell moved past her husband and daughter and walked out to the backyard and took her seat.

The music started and Judith started down the aisle dropping flowers just like Michonne taught her. Her grandmother sat in front to get her once she finished. Then Michonne and her father stepped out of the house and walked toward Rick and Carl. Rick attempted to smile, but all he could manage was a look that said it all. Even if she were wearing a burlap sack, she would still manage to take his breath away.

Michonne smiled sadly at his eyes as they teared up. He reached out and took her hand from her father, and Rick kissed her cheek and they faced the pastor. She took a moment to smile and wink at Carl.

The pastor smiled at them, and then looked out at the guests.

"Rick and Michonne came to see me the other day regarding something they wanted to add to this ceremony. They wanted to include Carl and Judith in their vows. You all know this family; how encouraging they are to others, and how committed they are to each other. Their request is of course my pleasure to fulfill."

Michonne motioned to Judith and she joined them.

"So, before performing the wedding ceremony, this family would like to express their commitment to each other before God and all of you here today. Carl, would you like to go first?"

Carl stepped forward and took one of Michonne's hands.

"Michonne, thank you for marrying my dad, and being a mother to Judith and me. You make my dad happy and we love you very much, and I promise to be a good son to you and someone you can always talk to."

Michonne smiled at Carl and hugged him. She bent down and he kissed her cheek. Carl then maneuvered Judith in front of Michonne. Judith was holding Rick's hand, and with her little hand tugged on Michonne's dress. Michonne knelt to Judith.

"I love you." Judith said, kissing Michonne's cheek.

She then tugged on her father's hand, and when he knelt, he got the same adorable I love you and kiss.

Carl moved his sister back making room for Rick and Michonne to stand together for their vows. Their family and friends watched the heartfelt ceremony with emotions ranging from smiles of happiness, to tears of joy.

After the rings were exchanged and the 'I do's' recited, Rick and Michonne with clasped hands, gazed into each other's eyes as usual, speaking lovingly to each other using no words.

"Rick, you may now kiss your bride."

He all but lunged at her. He held her tightly, kissing her until hoots from their guests caused them both to break the kiss and laugh.

"Thank you." Rick whispered in her ear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm present to you Mr. and Mrs. Richard Grimes, and their children Carl and Judith."

Everyone stood and applauded.

"How's that?" Michonne said, whispering to Carl.

Carl smiled and nodded. He then put his arm around her waist and leaned his head on her shoulder.

Several of Rick's friends rushed forward to congratulate the couple and the children. They posed for pictures, and finally proceeded to the inside of the house for the reception.

Since the guests were few, the reception was small, but very elegant. Food was served buffet style, and instead of tables, chairs were placed throughout the room. The living room which was joined to the dining room, served as a mini dance floor. Mr. Mitchell and Buck joined together to propose the first toast to the couple, proceeded by speeches giving by some of the guests. Mrs. Mitchell finally put an end to the seemingly endless toasts by starting the music for the couple's first dance.

Michonne took Rick by the hand and pulled him out on the dance floor. He placed his arms around her and swayed gently to the music playing. They talked quietly to each other and laughed quite a bit. Judith walked out on the floor and was picked up by her father to dance with her parents. Everyone watched them for a long time before joining in.

Before their dance was over, a police officer arrived at the reception and asked for Rick.

"What is it Jones?" Rick asked, walking over to him holding Michonne's hand.

"We tried not to call you, but Caswell and Reid couldn't be reached. We have a hostage situation."

Rick groaned inwardly, knowing a senior office was needed. He regarded Michonne with a regretful gaze.

"You go." Michonne said, reading how torn he was.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Go do what you do best."

He pulled her close and kissed her cheek.

"If you think being a cop is what I do best, then I must be doing that other thing all wrong." He whispered in her ear.

She giggled and kissed him.

"It's been so long I've forgotten."

"I should get going so I can hurry back and refresh your memory. Don't take that dress off without me."

He flashed her a roguish smile and left with the officer.

The reception resumed, but Michonne's heart was no longer in a celebrating mood. She walked around the house on auto pilot; tidying up and chatting with their guests. Shortly before midnight, all the guest had left, and Michonne and her mother busied themselves organizing the wedding gifts.

"Does this happen often?" Mrs. Mitchell asked.

"No." Michonne replied, collecting the greeting cards.

"Are you okay?"

"Mom, I'm fine. He's good at what he does."

"That would make me feel better if he was a computer programmer."

Michonne gave her mother a stern look which meant the conversation was over, but she couldn't help but have a bad feeling ever since the uniformed officer walked in the door.

"Hey daughter, can we talk a minute, I missed the chance before."

Michonne looked at her father curiously. His tone was quiet and calm, but fragile somehow.

"I'll go and help Katie finish up." Mrs. Mitchell said, and left them alone.

"Michonne, I'm sorry I was against your choices. All you were doing was behaving the way I raised you. I wanted you and your brother to be headstrong and know your own mind, and you've done exactly that. I am so proud of you, and your husband is the finest man I've met in a long time, and he truly loves you. Just so you know, that's all I ever really wanted for you."

"I know Dad. Thank you."

Michonne and her father stood before each other with tears in their eyes. He moved forward and she met him halfway and the father hugged his daughter.

"I love you baby."

"I love you too Dad."

About an hour later, the doorbell rang. Michonne and her parents were sitting in the living room drinking coffee and chatting.

"He probably forgot his keys." Michonne said, getting up to answer to the door.

When she opened the door, Katie was standing there with a stricken look on her face and tears covered her cheeks. Michonne's body tensed and her eyes filled with tears.

"What's wrong?" Michonne asked, pulling her inside.

"Michonne, I'm sorry, Rick's been shot!"


End file.
